Page 23 of Hidden Magic

Chapter Eleven

With Brant’s order snapping in her brain, Kat crawled on the frozen ground as bullets rained all around them. With the darkness and the trees, their attackers had a definite advantage over them.

Stay safe, stay with the women.

His voice was low and commanding in her head before she saw the lynx disappear into the thick woods. The wolf was gone too.

The one called Sera inched in her direction and grabbed her hand. “In the cabin, now!”

More bullets flew, and Kat didn’t see any way to quickly get back inside when the woman hoisted her up, pulling her hard behind her. Sera’s hands extended and swirled in a graceful motion, creating an iridescent shield in front of them. Nonetheless, Kat winced as a few bullets hit it just in front of her face.

Behind a tree, Valeria hid, and when she looked at them retreating toward the cabin, she only nodded and dashed on.

Kat screamed at the danger, but Sera didn’t release her until they were relatively hidden around the corner. Kat opened the door and Sera followed. Another swish of her hands made all windows disappear and the living room turned almost black. Electricity had been cut off, she realized. One by one, Sera wove a spell of orbs of lights that appeared all over the room, casting a warming, almost comforting glow.

“So, you are a witch...” It sounded so weird to utter those words, but less than staying inside in silence. Well, almost silence as the sounds coming from the forest found their way to Kat’s ears.

“That and a little more ... my father is a god.”

Kat wanted to say something intelligent, but nothing came to mind. Sera smiled, but it was clear she was worried. “It’s a bit complicated, and I’ll be more than happy to tell you everything when this is over.”

“Who is attacking us?”

“Do you remember anything?”

Kat tried to sift through her sluggish mind. “Mostly everything, but not in detail, it’s like flashes or quick moving images.”

Sera nodded, taking her hands. “From what we could put together, you were kidnapped by two men... Yanni Moore and Lawrence Humphreys. Do those names ring any bells?”

Part of her didn’t want to believe what had happened to her, almost wished it was only a nightmare. Unfortunately, what she remembered had been real and the fear that had been her constant companion for so long surfaced. It brought her back to the moment when she’d finally started to have some sort of normal life with that cursed talent of hers.

That talent had appeared right after the car accident that had killed both her parents and sent her to the hospital. When she’d opened her eyes, it was if the volume had been turned to the maximum in her ears. Kat had soon realized that it wasn’t the noise that made her head pound, but thoughts. All her doctors, nurses, friends, and family member’s thoughts had bombarded her to the point where she screamed in agony. The doctors hadn’t believed her when she told them of her pain, and instead told her it was a trick of her mind, a way of trying to cope with the tragedy.

Alone, her only choices were either to fall into madness or find a way to hang onto her sanity by mastering the strange ability.

Trying to survive, she found a position as a secretary for two businessmen. It was a good place, well paid and offered her much-needed stability and peace. Unfortunately, during a meeting, her control slipped, and her life turned had into a nightmare once more. Tired, her mind had opened, and she’d heard something she shouldn’t have during the negotiation. Loyal, she went to her bosses, and trusting them more than she should have, she admitted to being able to read minds. She then she realized the real nature of the two men she had believed to be her friends.

The ambitious businessmen turned into stalkers, forcing her to be present at meetings and business appointments, dictating her life for the purpose of gaining an advantage over their competitors. The more money they gained, the more violent they became. To survive, there was only one option. So, she fled. Over and over, she tried to remain hidden from sight, while mastering her abilities. Unfortunately, over and over, they found her, until she’d decided to change her name and jump into the unknown, landing in Easthallows. For a brief moment, she believed that she was safe, and maybe that was the reason she’d let herself fall for Brant.

“Yes, a very grim bell, indeed. They are the ones who attacked and kidnapped me. I realize I blocked the memory and stayed like that for that reason. I think I lost it when they started torturing me and made me bleed. I kind of went into another dimension.”

Sera squeezed her hands. “It was a deep trauma. Your mind tried to shield you from that overwhelming fear and pain. That’s what I believe. You have powers and can use them now, even if you discovered them by accident. When Brant told us about your capacity to read minds, I knew you had more. Nobody is only a telepath. You have telekinesis too, the capacity to move objects with your mind.”

Kat must have looked frightened because Sera brought her into a hug. “Am I a witch?”

“No, Kat. You don’t have that type of magic. It is limited to a specific kind of magical energy.” As she was about to speak again, Sera stopped, looking into the void. “No! They need my help. Stay inside, Kat, and don’t open the door until we tell you.”

As she was about to object, Sera disappeared in front of her eyes in a strange watery swirl that evaporated after her.

Everything was happening way too fast, and she immediately tried to reach for Brant, but it was as if a wall was standing between them, one he had erected.

A mighty roar came from outside, shaking the cabin and her. Something was happening, and she was helpless, trapped inside with only little balls of light for company. The man she loved and people she barely knew were risking their lives for her.

There had to be a way to end this madness. She may only be a mortal among creatures of fantasy, but Sera had told her she had powers, whatever they were.

The firefight intensified outside, mixed with animal snarls. Brant was out there, and she had to do something.

A hard boom coming from the door told her that whatever was attacking them out there, was trying to find its way in. To her.

---