Basically, I was up shit creek without a paddle. That was the only way to look at my current situation. I had to ask someone to sacrifice their life to save my father’s or let him die. That was not a choice I wanted to make. How was I supposed to do such a thing? As I processed Zarai’s words, my heart slowly shattered into a million pieces. My dad would never want this. He put all others before him. I wasn’t ready to live without him, though.
Sitting across the table in my dad’s room from Zarai, I was at a loss. I yearned to ask my dad what to do, but that wasn’t possible. I was grateful Zarai had finally shown up and was able to give us the information we so desperately needed, but I didn’t like it. Not one bit. My adulting skills still needed some refinement, apparently.
“We’re going to need to discuss this as a pack, Zarai. It’s not a simple thing to consider,” I said dejectedly. I’d have to speak with Augie and Davis before presenting the information to the pack.
“I understand that, but if the pack’s bonds are still as tight as they used to be, I’m sure it won’t be a problem. You have seven days to decide.”
Of course, there was a deadline. Why wouldn’t there be? Why couldn’t any of it be easy? Oh, that’s right. Life was an asshole.
“Why the deadline?” I asked, assuming there was a specific reason for the cutoff. Or maybe seven was her lucky number. I wouldn’t know unless I asked.
“The soul exchange can only be done during a full moon. If you can’t work it out by then, I have no intention of hanging around long enough to wait for the next lunar cycle. My coven leader was very clear when I told her I was coming here. I was to make you stop looking for us, or else. You don’t want to know what the or else is.”
Alright, then. I wouldn’t ask. I was smart enough to know when to push and when not to.
“If saving your father will stop your search for the witches, then I’m permitted to help. Now, with the information about Jaye… Once I am back with some of my coven, we should be able to reverse most of the chaos she has caused and track her down.
“She used to be a member, but she disappeared a few years ago. We assumed her dead or with her sister Mari, neither option being good for her. We will need to tread carefully, especially if both sisters are together. Just remember, your wolf business is still your own. We will not interfere or assist with Declan and his people.”
I nodded my head, processing all she had said. I was certain the only chance we had at defeating Declan and Jaye were with the witches’ help. We didn’t have the resources to fight against magic like that. I wasn’t worried about handling Declan on our own as long as Jaye was out of the way. There had been no talk of another witch or sorceress, so I wasn’t too worried about this Mari person.
“There’s not a lot of history written about why the witches fled. I know your kind had many losses during battles with the packs, but was that it? Or is there more to it?” I asked, curious to know anything that would help me understand her better and why the witches had fled.
“Oh, dear child, there is so much more.” She sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Do you know the difference between a sorceress and a witch?”
I shrugged. There hadn’t been a Witch 101 class during our homeschooling. I had no idea what the differences were or what they were capable of besides conjuring magic. Even that concept was pretty vague. Magic could be so many things. I decided to take a guess.
“A witch is good, and a sorceress is bad?”
A small smile played at her lips as she shook her head. “There are both good and bad witches, as well as sorceresses and sorcerers. We are all born with a raw gift. That gift must be nurtured and respected. Then, with time, a witch can rise to sorcery levels if one so chooses. Though, it takes decades for that to happen. There are some who don’t have the patience to wait. Their greed gets the best of them and they allow a darkness to take over. Something powerful that was meant to help others instead of harming them. Those who wish to use their magic for nefarious purposes can force the change to sorcery. They offer up sacrifices to darker beings who use unorthodox methods to increase one’s power and abilities. This is what Jaye has done.”
I wondered how many had to die for the bitch to get her way. How many more would die before we were able to stop her. “How many times has this happened in the past?”
I wasn’t sure why, but their history intrigued me. With all the searching we had done for the witches, we’d uncovered very little, which only further fascinated me. Plus, Zarai seemed to be warming up and willing to chat, so I planned on taking full advantage.
