The Empire Witch Read online

  “Yeah, but not many. Neka almost never leaves Issale, and when he does, it’s under water. Because he’s a water dragon. Then there are four younger ones, fourteen and fifteen years old, my brother included. All dragons join the Guard, the king’s army, the protectors of the species. They were so proud when my brother turned out to be a dragon. And then I can’t shift at all.”

  I frowned. “Is that…common?”

  Her face fell. “No. It’s unheard of. Only me. I’m the only weird one. They were all hoping it was somehow repressed and by going to a magic school it might trigger my shift to happen. But if it didn’t happen when we were attacked at midnight in a park alone, then I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

  Now I really didn’t know what to say. But I had a new suspicion. I wondered if that was why she’d run away. If she’d never shifted, she’d feel like an outcast at a school like SOMA. I would if I were the only witch in the world without magic. I pulled out my phone then paused. I wasn’t sure what to say to Deacon. He needed to know where we were, but I didn’t want him to make Landy go back.

  “At least at home everyone is used to me being a freak so I can just —” she gasped.

  I looked up from my phone and followed her stare to where a grown man had walked into our train car. He sat down in the first row…but he sat sideways. Which was weird. The door opened and two more men stepped into our car. They stopped and stood in front of the guy sitting down. Landy glanced up at me and gripped my sleeve. My pulse quickened. It’s nothing, Amelia. Nothing. Just some guys taking a train home. It’s nothing.

  If it’s nothing, then why are they all wearing matching black outfits? All three of them had the same cargo pants, turtlenecks, and combat boots on. Like a uniform. And they weren’t speaking. No, no, no. This is New York. It could be anything. They could be costumes from Broadway.

  The guy sitting down pulled out something that looked like a compass. He watched it for a second, then nodded…and said something to the other two, but it was in a language I’d never heard before. And he had a wildly thick accent.

  Landy gasped and grabbed my arm. “We have to go.”

  I frowned and looked down at her. “What? Not everyone is—”

  “It’s the Duenill!” she hissed and tried to push me out of the seat.

  “The who?” I asked as I glanced back to the three men. Was it just me or were they watching us out of the corners of their eyes?

  “Shifter hunters!” Landy shoved me. “RUN. NOW!”

  WHAT? I jumped to my feet and dove for the door behind us that led to the next car with Landy hanging on to my arm. Shifter hunters? I’d never heard of such a thing. Oh God. No, this can’t be happening. But the fear pouring out of Landy was enough to make my eyes burn. It wasn’t my place to question her. So I ran.

  I shoved the door open and we stumbled out into the metal space between the two train cars. Cold air rushed by us. The vibrations of the train buzzed up my legs. There was a loud click and then the door to the next car flew open.

  Four men in black outfits stepped out in front of us.

  I froze and Landy slammed into my back.

  “Amelia, they’re behind us too!” Landy hissed and squeezed my arm.

  I glanced over my shoulder and my heart sank. This is not happening. Why didn’t I just call Deacon?

  One of the men with red hair stepped forward then leaned down. “Where ye runnin’ ta lass? Got ye now.”

  My stomach tightened into knots.

  “Duenill,” Landy whispered.

  The red-haired guy winked at her, then said something to his gang in that weird language. They laughed and it echoed around us. The train clicked and clacked. Metal shrieked as the world flew past us in a dark blur. My whole body was shaking, though I didn’t know if it was from fear or the cold.

  We couldn’t just stand here. They hadn’t tried to touch us but I wasn’t naïve enough to think that meant they weren’t planning on it. They had a plan and we needed one too. Think, Amelia. THINK. We were trapped on this train. Maybe if we just waited it out, we’d get a chance to fight back.

  I felt my magic building inside me, my wand was practically screaming for me to grab it. Except there were too many of them. Two little girls against seven grown men? I didn’t have that kind of training. I wasn’t even taking a combat class. They hadn’t taught us defensive spells yet.

  The red-haired guy wagged his eyebrows…then pulled out a shiny, glistening, serrated knife that was as long as my arm. Landy cried and squirmed behind me. My eyes widened and my pulse took off like a jackhammer. The other men laughed and pulled out their own weapons. Some had knives, others had handguns. One guy had both.

  A crazy, stupid, reckless plan forged in my mind but it was the only one I had. The only option we had. We had to get away from them now.

  We had to jump.

  I swallowed and took a small step back. In my peripheral vision, I watched lights speed by us, but I refused to look. That would only alert them of my plan. We needed a distraction, something to give us a few seconds to jump.

  They’re SHIFTER hunters, not witch hunters. Maybe they’re not used to magic?

  It was longshot, but it was all we had. I slowly raised my hand up to my chest, my wand was right there. Just had to grab it. Come on, Amelia. You can do this. Just distract them.

  Then jump off a train.

  No big deal.

  Deacon would do it.

  Oh, Goddess, why hadn’t I just called Deacon?

  I dove into my coat and pulled my wand out. They hadn’t taught me combat spells, but there was one thing Caroline had taught me…I flicked and swished my wand in the air between us and silvery magic shot into them. Light flashed and popped as their combat boots changed into six-inch platform stilettos. They squealed and wobbled, falling over and slamming into the metal walls of the train. I flicked my wand again and their cargo pants changed into leather tea-length skirts that bound their legs together.

  By some miracle, the train started to slow down at that exact moment. So, I grabbed Landy’s arm and JUMPED.

  Landy screamed and the sound seemed to whistle through the air.

  Or maybe that was the train.

  I heard the men shouting then there were gunshots.

  My body slammed into the dirt and pain exploded inside of me. I bounced up in the air then dropped again. We both screamed out as we rolled. The second we stopped moving, I scrambled back to my feet. Landy was already up, so she grabbed my arm and we started running. I had no idea in which direction we were going but anything would do. We just needed a place to hide long enough for me to call Deacon. Tegan would be there in moments. I just needed that break.

  Bright white lights spread across the sky and then tires screeched. Three big black SUVs pulled up right in front of us. I gasped and slid to a stop. We spun and sprinted back in the other direction just as the men from the train stopped a few feet away. I tried to slow down but my feet slipped in the gravel.

  Two big hands covered in black leather gloves gripped my shoulders and lifted me off the ground. I screamed and kicked my legs as hard as I could but another guy jumped out and grabbed ahold of my feet. I pulled out my wand and shot out every spell I could think of. I screamed and screamed until my throat burned. Their grips were iron tight, I couldn’t budge them.

  Silver mist spilled into the air from the tip of my wand — and then I landed in the back of an SUV with a heavy thud. I looked up just as the door slammed closed.

  Chapter Four

  Emersyn

  Wind ripped through my hair, sending it flying like a cape behind me. We were flying on Silas’s back up near the clouds. With the full moon shining down, we had a perfect bird’s eye view of the Hudson River far, far below looking like a black hole. But I wasn’t letting myself look down. I had to keep my eyes up. At the clouds. And the stars twinkling right by my face.

  Deacon was behind me, with his arms wrapped tight around me and his hands gripped the sp
ike on Silas’s back. He was stone cold quiet, and I felt the panic boiling inside of him. Until we found Amelia alive and well, my soulmate was not going to relax. Not that I blamed him…I just wished there was more I could do.

  Suddenly Koth threw his head back and roared. The other dragons hissed and then we all started to sink lower to the ground.

  “What does that mean?” Chutney screamed from Koth’s back at the front of the group.

  If he responded, she didn’t tell us. City street lights twinkled right below us. Silas dropped like we were on some rollercoaster and my stomach shot up my spine then flipped around. I gripped the spike on his back as hard as I could and prayed he couldn’t feel it.

  As buildings and houses flew by us, I realized I didn’t have any idea where we were but we were definitely sinking lower. Up ahead, I spotted the empty roof of a hotel a second before we landed on it. The moment their dragon feet hit the roof, they slid us off their backs then shifted back into their human forms. Koth paced the length of the roof and back again. The others huddle close by, wringing their hands and shifting their weight around.

  “What’s going on?” I shouted. “Where are they?”

  Tyce, the twin with green eyes scrubbed his face then shook his head. “Are you familiar with the Duenill?”

  We all shook our heads.

  Tyce cursed. “They’re shifter hunters. It’s a long story but they’re highly dangerous and never leave survivors.”

  Tenn frowned. “And…?”

  “Whenever the Duenill are around, we can’t track our shifters down. Koth can’t sniff them out. It’s like they cause this major blind spot.”

  “And that’s what just happened.” The blue-eyed twin bounced on the balls of his feet. “He had her, he lost her. It’s them.”

  Tenn narrowed his eyes. “Are they not human?”

  Tyce groaned. “They’re human. Which is why we don’t understand it. We’ve been trying for centuries to figure it out”

  “This sounds like Lilith,” Tegan said softly.

  Everyone stilled and stared at her.

  Tenn cursed.

  Deacon cursed and tugged his hair.

  Koth turned and stormed over to Tegan. “What do you mean? Lilith, as in the Lilith?”

  Tegan nodded. “She was defeated in the One Hundred Years’ War six hundred years ago. But the angels, and we’ve had direct contact with two, have warned us that she will return. And we learned that Lilith was helping the enemy we just defeated last week.”

  And then it clicked in my head. “So it stands to reason she’s helping the Duenill as well.”

  Tegan started twirling her hands in front of her and her rainbow magic poured out of her in waves.

  Heather glanced down at Tegan then back to Koth. “So you’re saying we can’t track Landy?”

  “No,” Deacon grumbled. “But we can track Amelia.”

  Tegan gasped. “I’ve got her.”

  Tenn pulled George, his pendulum, out of his pocket and held it out to her. Purple mist coiled around the blue-ish stone. “I have a feeling I’ll need my hands free.”

  Tegan took George and her rainbow magic immediately swirled and twirled with the purple magic from the crystal. George spun in a tight circle then swung wide. The guys nodded and then lights flashed all around me as one by one they shifted back to their dragon forms.

  Koth pointed to Tennessee and Tegan, then growled, “You two, ride with me.”

  Chapter Five

  Amelia

  “We’re gonna die and it’s all my fault,” Landy cried beside me. Tears poured down her face and she shook her head. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.”

  I reached out with my hands that were bound together with thick rope and squeezed her arm. “Don’t say that, you don’t know that,” I whispered.

  She sniffled and tried to wipe her face, but her hands were also bound. “Yes, I do.”

  “Landy—”

  “The Duenill don’t kidnap,” she whisper-hissed with fire blazing in her tawny eyes. “They just kill. As soon as we’re away from human sight we’re dead.”

  My heart sank. No. No, I refuse to accept that. We were tied up and stuffed into the back of their SUV, with at least six men dripping in weapons sitting in front of us. There were two more identical SUVs on either side of us, which I knew held just as many armed Duenill. My stomach turned. I had to think. After they tied our hands and feet, they’d searched us and took our cellphones. Neither one of us had any weapons. They’d even taken my wand.

  Maybe if I hadn’t used it in front of them, they wouldn’t have taken it.

  Right, because what would I do with it if I had it?

  Nothing. Because I knew nothing of this kind of magic. I just had to figure out how to get us out of this alive.

  “Landy,” I whispered and nudged her with my elbow. “Look for anything that can be used as a weapon.”

  She sniffled and nodded, then turned away from me to check. I spun to my left and scanned the car around me…and my stomach turned so hard I thought I was going to be sick. Bile rose in my throat. There was nothing. Literally. Just the car itself – black rug, black leather seats, that new car smell that I’d never think of the same way again. There weren’t even any crumbs or dirt. Even our car had food crumbs and dirt.

  “There’s nothing,” Landy whispered.

  I bit my lip to stop myself from groaning out loud. Tears stung my eyes but I refused to cry. My heart was beating out of control and my body was shaking.

  “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry,” Landy kept whispering over and over.

  I flipped onto my knees and looked up at her. “This is just as much my fault. I should have called Deacon. The Coven would’ve already gotten us —”

  A sharp, shrill ringing blared next to my ear – through the seat. I gasped. A cell phone. He has a cellphone. Landy’s eyes widened. If I could get this dude’s phone, I could call Deacon. I knew his number by heart. I knew Emersyn’s, too. And if I somehow lived through this, I was going to learn Tegan’s by heart as well.

  Maybe I can get his phone.

  But not with my hands tied.

  I looked to Landy and raised my hands up between us, then mouthed, “Untie me.”

  Her eyes bugged out, but she dove right for my ropes. The knots were big and tight, I’d already tried undoing them with my teeth. Except…Landy seemed to know a lot more about ropes and knots than I did because she was already making progress. She pulled a piece up then glanced at me and made a biting motion. I dove forward with my teeth bared and took that piece in my mouth. It was even harder up close to see what Landy was doing, yet a minute later the ropes around my wrists dropped to the floor of the car.

  We both gasped. I slammed my hands over both of our mouths. We sat there for a few seconds, waiting to see if the men had noticed. When we saw no reaction, I pulled my hands away. Then leaned against the side of the car. The space between the car and the seat in front of me was narrow but I had little arms. The guy pulled his phone out of the pocket on the side of his leg…he glanced at it…then reached down and slipped it back into the same pocket.

  YES. I can reach you!

  I looked to Landy, then with two fingers pointed to my eyes…then pointed to the front of the SUV. Landy nodded and pushed up on her knees. I didn’t take the time to untie her, I had to get that phone while I had the chance. Just ten seconds, even if he caught me, Deacon would find us. I knew it. Landy peeked over the edge of the backseat then held up one finger. My stomach rolled again. Any minute I was going to puke. I got into position.

  Landy mouthed GO.

  I slid my arm between the bench seat and the side of the car slowly so he wouldn’t sense movement. My hands were shaking and my heart was lodged in my throat. Almost…there…

  Just as my fingertips brushed the edge of his pocket, a guy driving shouted something in their weird language and the guy in front of me leaned forward. His leg slid out of range. I gasped and yanked my hand back. A lar
ge shadow passed over the SUV.

  Landy gasped loudly and dove to the window. Before I could urge her to be quiet, a huge grin spread over her face. “Oh, you’re in trouble now.”

  I jumped up on my knees and reached for her. “Landy—"

  A massive black dragon landed up ahead in front of our SUV — with Tegan and Tennessee on its back.

  YES!

  Relief slammed into me so hard tears slid down my face. My heart fluttered.

  THEY FOUND US!

  The driver of our SUV slammed on the brakes and a loud screeching filled the air. The SUV swerved to a stop. The men in the car were screaming and flailing around. freaking out. They shouted at each other in their language and pulled their guns out.

  A dark brown dragon landed off to the left. Then a green one. Two gray dragons, one light and one dark, landed on my right. Another pale one hit the ground right behind us. They had the SUVs surrounded.

  And then I saw Deacon on the dragon behind us. I looked to the right and found Aunt Heather riding the dark gray one. “We’re definitely in trouble now.”

  The biggest dragon – the black one up front - spit a ring of fire around the SUVs.

  “That’s KOTHARI!” Landy whispered to me over the shouting men.

  Kothari? The king?

  “Oh, and that’s Silas!”

  I looked in the direction she was pointing just as a pale gray dragon jumped on top of the SUV to our right — and ripped the roof off with its teeth. I gasped. The men inside scrambled to get out. Emersyn leaned over the side of Silas’s spikes and threw her hands out. Bright orange flames shot from her palms and filled the SUV with fire.

  Their screams pierced my ears. I grimaced and looked for King Koth. Tennessee and Tegan were still on his back.

  Tegan vanished into thin air…then reappeared immediately right between our SUV and the one to our left. She raised her hands up and the air pulsed with waves. The men in our car choked on their screams and started to get out — no, wait. They were being sucked out. By Tegan. The men were gripping the doors and seats of the cars but the air was sucking them out like a vacuum. Like Tegan was a Jedi using the Force.