Brothers 3

Chapter 34

A woman with thin and wrinkled features came into view. Her hair was almost to the floor, grey waves with beads tied in at random intervals. Eyes that seemed to glow lilac locked onto James and her flaking lips split as she smiled.

"James Morris," she hissed. Most of her teeth were missing and those that remained were rotten. Now that she was closer her odour was pungent. James covered his nose.

"Who the hell are you?"

She laughed, the sound like a tin being tapped. "You do not know as much as you think you do. There are many more powerful than you."

James raised an eyebrow. "You think you are more powerful than me?" A stiff breeze could have snapped the ancient bag of bones in half.

"Not me, but my coven."

James hadn't heard of a coven in a long time. It was dangerous for witches to band together in groups. Both vampires and werewolves feared a group of witches and any found to be gathering were quickly destroyed. How had this old hag joined a coven and lived to this age?

"Is your coven here?" James listened for any sign of them but there was too much life around to get an accurate idea.

"No. They are preparing for the end of all of you."

She spoke with such certainty that fear prickled the back of James's neck. "What does that mean?" He made sure to sound angry to hide his fear.

"You shall see soon enough." Raising her hands, she started to mumble in an ancient tongue that James didn't recognize.

He needed to know what she meant by ending them but there was no time left for talking. If he lingered she would use magic to take him apart.

"Guys!" James took a few steps close to her and snarled.

The witch didn't flinch and when James got within a few steps she lashed out with a string of white lightning. It was so bright that his eyes stung, and he staggered, momentarily blinded.

The stampede sound of the others coming in let him know he was no longer alone, but it was several seconds before he could spot them. Robert was next to him, practiced calm painted all over his face. Eddie was to the other side, smiling enough to show all his teeth.

Mikey, Nina and Ella circled the witch. The old woman glanced around but if she was concerned about being outnumbered she didn't show it.

"Who is she?" Eddie leaned over and whispered to James.

"I don't know."

She finished her spell just as Mikey and Nina turned into wolf form and rushed her. Nina was met with a large cat, built as the shadow around them meshed together and took form. There was something strange about there being no shadows in the room anymore, having all being used to make the creature. The dark cat snarled and clawed at Nina. She dodged and attacked it, but her teeth went through it, without slowing it down.

The cat's claws slashed her shoulder and she howled. The sound drew Mikey up short who fell back to help his sister.

"Idiot." James started towards the witch. She was the source of the spell. If they wanted to take down the cat then they had to fight her not it. Robert kept pace with him, and Eddie slipped to the side. James didn't have to watch him to know he was looping behind the witch. It was a tactic their father had drilled into them since they were kids. They were strongest when they fought as a group and Robert and James being the most skilled warriors meant they would distract the enemy. It was Eddie's job to sneak around and strike the killing blow.

Ella snarled and burst into her wolf form. The witch was throwing more lightning strikes at the brothers and James could feel the heat every time he had to dash to the side to avoid one.