The Coven's Heir

Chapter 2

A few days after my mother's funeral I found myself in the small clearing in the forest not too far away from the manor. The clearing was beautiful it was surrounded by a wall of trees that carved out the field into almost a diamond shape. Flowers of almost every color were scattered throughout the long waving grass.

I lay there consumed by the long green grass looking up at the endless dome of blue sea as I focused on the birds chirping and the stream singing its soothing tune just on the other side of the trees that lined the clearing, and took a deep breath in. I felt as if I was taking my first breath in days. It had been suffocating walking through the village everyone looked at me with pity and sorrow and I knew they meant well but their emotions had me drowning. I had to get out of there and go somewhere very few people knew about. My safe haven. This was a place I came to recharge and would release everyone else's emotions and just focus on my own. Being here helped me think.

Grandmother told me nature was where a witch got her power, and our connection to the earth was what gave us our strength. That was a big reason why we would find it so peaceful out here, and now that I came to think of it that was probably one of the reasons why my ancestors built the Oxley Manor outside of the little village of Lullin near the forest so we would be closer to nature.

Since my mother passed, I had found myself here almost everyday trying recharge as everyone's worrying and sympathy was giving me a headache. An Empath was what my grandmother calls it. It was apparently a very rare gift that runs through our bloodline though it hasn't been seen for centuries. My grandmother and Eli were the only ones that knew about my gift.

All of a sudden, a chill ran up my spine drawing me from my thoughts, and I felt it. I felt someone's eyes one me. Someone was watching me. I slowly sat up as if I was expecting there to be an animal ready to leap on its prey. I looked around scanning every detail around the edge of the clearing.

I briefly touched my dagger along my thigh; the last thing my father had bought me before he died reassuring myself it was still there, and ready for me to grab if needed. A habit that I always did, when I felt something off.

Nothing, but it was getting dark and seeing through those trees was getting harder by the second. Standing up I cautiously walked to the edge of the trees. The manor was about a.... A shadow shifted out of the corner of my eye. I whipped my head around snatching my knife swiftly from under my dress so fast I felt the strain in my neck. That was going to be sore later. Then I saw it pair of glowing melted amber eyes staring at me through the trees for the briefest of seconds before it disappeared. I took a step closer scanning the trees, but whatever it was it was gone. I thought I imagined it but those almost cat like eyes were engrained in my brain. I didn't think They would be disappearing anytime soon.

I shook it off. I must just be overtired.

Cautiously stepping into the thick forest holding my knife and expanding my senses I swiftly walked through the forest keeping my eyes forward and my senses out preparing for any attack.

I made it to the back door of the manor a few minutes later. The sky had gone completely black with only the twinkling stars blanketing the dark canvas for light. I turned towards the door about to unlock it when I landed face first into a very hard, very wide chest. Before he could react I Quickly side stepped around the large figure in my doorway. I swiftly jumped on his back and held the knife to his throat. "Say the password" I had demanded firmly.

He was wearing a black loose tunic that hung nicely off his body exposing his upper chest slightly. "Holy **** Fallon" Elijah said startled. I just giggled "You know better than to scare me. Say it now!" I demanded "C'mon Fallon we haven't said the password since we were kids, and I was not trying to scare you I was about to go out and look for you. Your Grandma was getting worried." He said. "Eli I am 18 I think I can stay out past dark. Thanks for the concern though." I say mockingly. "Not if you're hanging out in the woods by yourself you know the rumors that have been going around. Now please get off my back and put that knife away before you poke someone's eye out, and by someone meaning your own." He said.

Huffing I jumped down. I knew I was acting childish, but I couldn't help it. A smile tugged on the corner of my lips, but quickly disappeared soaking in what he said about the rumors. There had been people that had started to go missing. It started a few weeks back, and no one had been found yet. The village had started to panic and had set up a curfew for everyone to be in their homes before dark. I guess I did need to be better about that.

As far as we knew there was no link between the three... Well now four missing people. One of our maids disappeared just last week before mother died. No one had seen or heard of her since. The last person that saw her was my ladies maid; Sage who claimed Anna went to the Village to grab some fresh produce. She never returned.

"Any leads of where they could have gone yet?" I questioned Eli. His father was head of the council that ran the village of Lullin. "No, not yet..." Eli said having a disturbed look on his face. His mother was the first to go missing. My heart pulled to him. I didn't have to reach out to feel the heart-breaking sorrow he was feeling. I gently put my hand on his arm to try and take away his pain. I started to think of memories when we were chasing each other through the courtyard out back in the summer when we were kids and we couldn't stop laughing.

Slowly I felt his tension easing, but before it was completely gone, he took a step back. "Thank you, but please don't take away my pain. I need to remember it. I need to hold on to it so I can rip whatever son of a bitch kidnapped and tortured my mother limb from limp. Ripping every organ out of his body." His voice raised at the end shocking my senses and reminding myself of the hunter he is.

His family came from a long line of witch hunters, but of course witches no longer exist, or that's what they think and we want to make sure we keep it that way. They were still trained at a young age though to fight and hunt, but now they were our hunters for the village they help supply the meat market. They go out into the woods every day hunting deer, and what ever else they find and sell their meat and fur to the market vendors center of the village.

It still shocks me though, if he ever found out where my family came from. What I really was. Would he kill me? Would our years of friendship become void in his mind? I knew it definitely would with his fathers. We've been friends for forever. I would like to believe he wouldn't.

I was not really a witch anyways neither was my grandmother so it shouldn't affect us, but I was too scared to reveal my family's history. When my Grandmother warned me about the Kane's history I was so shocked, but It made perfect sense. I just didn't want to believe her, but His father, his sister, and himself were all skilled fighters which other than my father that wasn't very common in our town.

He was incredibly strong and fast, and when he turned 16 his father carved into his arm scarring their family crest into his dark tanned skin. His sister just got hers this year. It was a ritual witch hunters had when they became of age. The crest was a raven with two flaming swords stabbed into its head and side making the shape of a cross. A scar carved forever on his bicep. A witch hunting symbol. The Kane's were from an ancient powerful family of hunters, which makes them stronger than your average human, and they have one duty and they are driven to up hold it.

I briefly glanced up at the scar before responding "you don't know that's what happened. She could of..." I trailed off. I didn't know what to say. How did you comfort someone about that?

Clearing his throat "I should get home before my father kills me, as the council heads son really shouldn't go against the new curfew regulations. Anyways I'm glad your safe. I don't know what I would do if you went missing too." He smiled tightly at me before walking through the back door to the foyer and out the front door facing the Village. Sighing I stepped inside and locked the door behind me.

I was exhausted. I honestly couldn't remember that last time I had a peaceful sleep. Trudging up the large marble staircase that faced the large open foyer I silently walked all the way up to my bedroom. Praying the nightmares of my mother wouldn't find me.