The Vaga (7 page)

Sam, on the other hand, is watching me with renewed interest. He flares his nostrils before turning back to the game. ‘Glad to see you made it back okay,’ he says, keeping his voice even. Although the overtone of suspicion isn’t lost on my ears.

‘Yep, all good,’ I reply, vowing to get him alone soon to find out what his problem is.

The game moves along at a fast pace, each team battling it out, Blake among the fastest and strongest of the players. Watching him move and direct his team I can see why college girls swoon over him.
If only it was that simple for me
, I think, my thoughts turning to Julian.

Before long the half-time siren sounds and the stadium bustles with life, everyone coming and going like a subway platform at peak hour.

Rhianna makes her way up the stairs towards us. ‘Hey guys,’ she says. I notice Jessica isn’t with her and relief sweeps through me. She plonks herself down next to me. ‘It’s crazy here tonight.’

‘Sure is.’

She nudges my arm. ‘I’m actually a little surprised to see you here. I wasn’t sure Phoebe would be able to convince you to come.’

‘Must I keep having to remind you of my persuasive charms, Rhi?’ Phoebe says through a mouthful of food.

Rhianna laughs, her red hair catching the lights of the stadium. ‘Nope. I’d believe it.’

I shake my head at the two of them, grateful that I have friends like them around. Although, if it wasn’t for Phoebe forcing me into the running team, I never would have met Rhianna. Sometimes Phoebe’s pushiness does pay off.

I keep up a general conversation before I’m finally saved by the kick-off siren.

While everyone else is watching the game, I struggle to keep my nerves in check. How did Julian know where to find me? And why didn’t I detect him in the line-up before he spoke to me? My magic should have picked up on his presence, but the fact that it didn’t puts my nerves on edge.

My mind and body go into overdrive. Julian’s warning about the Vaga and the predator in the park, these are not just random events. I have to get home. I have to warn Uncle Jo.

Magi senses my disruptive energy and puts her head in my lap. I sit for a few more minutes, but it is driving me crazy, my emotions erratic and the need to want to run from here too powerful. I decide that sitting here is the worse place for me right now and my hand reaches out to touch Phoebe’s knee. She turns to me and her smile falters as she recognizes the look on my face. She nods lightly and I get up, grabbing my stuff.

‘Hey, where are you going?’ Rhianna asks.

‘I just need some air. Not used to the crowds,’ I reply as casually as possible.

‘You want some company?’ she says.

The heaviness on my chest returns and with it the responsibility that burdens me. I cannot involve anyone else in this mess. Last time my enemy was close the people I love were hurt and almost killed. I won’t risk that happening ever again.

‘No, that’s okay. I’ll see you in a bit.’ My voice wavers slightly before I shuffle past, feeling the eyes of all of them on my back.

My feet move swiftly up towards the exit, Magi and I heading straight for the toilets, but halfway along the corridor I freeze, an immense warmth spreading through me that I now recognise as the presence of Julian. Quickly searching among the crowd moving through the stadium, I see him standing in the doorway of the emergency exit.

His steel grey eyes pierce my soul and I shudder under his intense gaze, unable to prevent the effect that he has on me. Magi sees him and whimpers, and then he nods lightly in our direction, as if to say
I’m watching over you
, and my heart flutters erratically.

I will my feet to keep moving and push open the toilet door, closing it behind us. Without hesitation I grab Magi’s collar and we teleport out.

We land in the lounge room, startling Aunt Lily
and
Uncle Jo who were sitting snuggled up on the couch.

‘Ellie, what is it?’ Uncle Jo asks worriedly, making a move to stand.

I walk towards him. ‘I’m sorry about before,’ I mumble, wanting to get the apology over and done with.

He sighs. ‘It’s okay. Let’s forget about it.’ His eyes search my face, and as they do his frown makes an appearance. ‘What’s happened?’

The thought of revealing everything to them makes me feel sick to my stomach, but I know in my gut that it is now or never in the honesty stakes. We are all in danger, and they have to know what that entails, even if that means I have to swallow my pride and take a hit where I know it’s going to hurt.

Uncle Jo sits back down and I kneel in front of them, letting it all come tumbling out of me—my feelings for Julian, Isis and her growing need to be released, and our newfound threat in the Vaga.

I didn’t know what to expect, but what I got was worse than I could have imagined.

Uncle Jo explodes with anger. ‘Julian?! You think
Julian
is the man you are meant to be with? Are you out of your godforsaken mind!’ he yells.

The blood drains from my face and I rock back on my knees. Magi whimpers, her eyes moving between us with uncertainty as she positions herself closer to me.

‘Jo, please,’ Aunt Lily says, laying her hand on his arm.

He shakes it off and stands up, towering over me like a giant. ‘After everything that’s happened, you thought that keeping this information to yourself, even though you knew the consequences of what it would mean, was okay? You do remember your mother don’t you? The woman that was murdered by those monsters that call themselves the Puritans!’ The deep timbre of his voice echoes throughout the old house with such ferocity that for a moment I forget who he is.

‘It’s not like that!’ I yell back. ‘You don’t understand. I can’t control how I feel.’

‘You think this is about control? This is about
choice
, Ellie. It has been since the day you said yes to that…that curse,’ he spits, referring to Isis and my agreement to be the vessel for her resurrection.

The guilt, torment, and shame are too much to bear. My heart feels like it is being ripped open, revealing the pain and anguish of hundreds of years of suffering that have been inflicted on my family.

‘You think this is a choice?’ I stand up and face him, my voice shaking with rage. ‘I never wanted this. I never wanted my mother to be taken from me or to live a life full of fear and uncertainty. I would
kill
to live a normal life for only a moment, but that isn’t going to happen. Ever! That is my life, Uncle Jo. I spend my days thinking about everyone else and how my thoughts and actions will affect them. Everything I do is watched or scrutinized. I’m suffocating!’ I scream.

Those last words cause my magic to suddenly erupt within me, and as it does the doorway to Isis that I have been trying to keep shut flies open. I lose myself in it, her essence taking over mine. The rush of power that emanates from my body pushes Aunt Lily and Uncle Jo back against the couch roughly, the force of which stirs the air around them. My body slowly rises until it is suspended off the floor. I’m looking through my eyes but I can no longer move my body as I wish. Isis has taken over and I am just a passenger now inside my own mind.

And then she speaks.

‘Do not utter another word, Sosibius, or I cannot be responsible for what may happen here.’

Sosibius—the name he was called in his past life as Isis’ Captain of the Guard.

Uncle Jo’s face conveys both shock and awe at hearing the voice of Isis. Aunt Lily grabs his arm in fear, scrambling to understand what it happening.

He slowly stands to face her, his hazel eyes never wavering. ‘Isis,’ he whispers.

She bows lightly towards him, and as she does I feel my body bend but I have no control over it.

‘Where is Elena?’ he asks, concerned.

‘Do not worry, Sosibius, she is safe. No harm will come to her. Although causing her to defend herself so ruthlessly was not in your best interest.’ Her voice is soft but laced with a hardness that cannot be denied.

‘Are you threatening me?’ he asks, his frown deepening.

She laughs softly. ‘Oh, Sosibius. I don’t need to threaten you. I mean you no harm. You are after all my blood, my family. But you must accept the destiny that you are faced with. We are at
war
, and I will not let anyone stand in the way of what must come to pass. Elena must bring forth this child of light, or your world will be cloaked in darkness forever.’

‘What about Elena’s choices? Your presence causes her pain and it doesn’t seem to bother you at all. She deserves a good life, not one where she’s just a vessel for your resurrection.’

His thoughts echo my own.

Isis narrows her gaze, her power causing the temperature in the room to drop. ‘Although you once served me well as the Captain of my Guard, do not be fooled. Your purpose here is to protect Elena, just as you protected me so very long ago. But if you interfere with what shall be then you will force my hand, Sosibius, and I will not be happy.’

Aunt Lily jumps up from the lounge and thrusts her shaking hand into Uncle Jo’s hand in a show of unity.

I shake my head from within my body. ‘No, Isis. Don’t hurt him. Please!’ I beg.

Isis’ magic falters at my words and she sighs deeply. ‘It would seem that Elena would not want that to happen. Her love for you is strong.’ She moves through the air towards him and stops only inches from his face. ‘But be warned. You must not stand in the way of the New Coming. To do so would bring you and your loved ones an untimely end.’

She pulls back her power and my body collapses into his arms.

Night has fallen and I wake up in my bed with the migraine from hell pounding its way through my skull. I wince as I try to move, and then a pair of soft hands enclose my own.

‘Shem, can you hear me?’ Ama says.

‘Yes, Ama, I can hear you,’ I whisper. ‘What happened?’ I ask, my mind foggy and unclear.

She turns on my bedside lamp with a flick of her fingers and her face comes into focus above me. ‘Look at me,’ her voice commands. I open my eyes and she lets out a relieved sigh. ‘Thank goodness. You’ll be alright.’

I work my way into a sitting position, the ache in my head pulsating with every move. ‘What are you talking about?’ I ask groggily.

‘Shem, you fought with your uncle earlier and Isis made an appearance.’

Her words hit their mark. A flashback of what occurred earlier tonight returns and with it an escalating sense of foreboding.

Isis
.

‘Is Uncle Jo alright? Did I hurt anybody?’ My mind was inflicting all sorts of cruel images onto me of what I could have done, or more accurately, what Isis could have done. Magi stirs from her sleep beside me, lifting her head off her paws and watching us both with interest.

Ama pats my hand in reassurance. ‘Everyone is fine. Nobody was hurt. Although we do need to have a serious talk about this.’

I push myself up straighter against my headboard and whisper a healing spell, my head instantly feeling better.

Ama sees the improvement and a slight smile pinches the corners of her mouth. ‘Ah, it’s good to be a witch,’ she says with fondness.

I smile half-heartedly, knowing how much she loves everything about being a witch. Usually when we get onto the topic of Witch Lore and the Craft, Ama reminisces about the old ways and how she revelled in the nature of magic in its truest form, having learnt from the generations of witches before her.

But right now everything has taken on a dull lustre within me. I feel laden down with a range of emotions that threaten to break me open from my core. For the first time in a long time I don’t want to be a witch, in fact, I was resenting it.

I cross my arms. ‘Okay, I’m ready.’

Ama reaches out to stroke my face. ‘Ah, Shem. I know you are in pain right now,’ her hand falls away softly, ‘but you need to listen to what I have to say.’

My body relaxes as I realise that my anger is what got me into trouble in the first place. ‘Okay.’

‘I know I’ve told you that there was always a chance that Isis’ power could override yours, and over the years you have maintained immense strength in being able to keep her magic locked away safely. But now it has happened, and I fear that it will happen again if we don’t do something about it.’

She has my full attention now. ‘What do you mean?’

She moves her index finger towards my face, my eyes going cross-eyed as I watch it move ever closer. I feel a tiny buzz where her finger positions itself on my third eye. ‘Amnakara to leeme, bandura fantada ra. Zira mae kina, domera nee tofa.’

Isis’ spirit stops stirring within me, and for the first time in many years she is silent. A sense of peace that is so overwhelming washes over me and I feel a tear make its way down my cheek.

‘Ama, what did you just do?’

She withdraws her finger and wipes away the tear, her green eyes shining with love, and at the same time, concern. ‘It won’t last long, sweetheart.’ She stands up and walks the length of the room before resuming her explanation. ‘The spell I just cast is from The Book of the Dead.’

The Book of the Dead—an ancient collection of papyrus scrolls written by priests and mystics, containing spells and rituals dating back to Ancient Egypt in the time of the Old Kingdom. These spells were written and performed to assist the dead to move through the
Duat
—or underworld—and into the afterlife safely with their soul intact.