Distorted Affliction

Chapter Twenty One

The plan from there was to drive to Wyoming in hopes of finding support from the coven outside of Sheridan. We didn't need much, just the extra magic to help keep Silas hidden while we made the trek to Louisiana to face what would probably be the hardest task leading up to our battle with Lazarus. From Wyoming, we would fly into New Orleans and find the Voodou Priestesses, but my plan from there was essentially to beg or barter until they agreed to help us.

This plan meant that I would get the opportunity to see Silas again, though the rest of my coven seemed to be a little on edge about the idea of making the four hour journey as a whole. I had no way of knowing if Seline would be watching for our movement, but it would certainly take them much longer to track us down if they had no idea we had already left the state. This would further the upper hand we already had, though as the daylight was fading, so was our window of opportunity to put space between us.

"I'm still not sure about this," Ophelia, a beautiful blonde haired woman with deep blue eyes the same shade as my own, said wearily, leading us through the hallway of the home where they had been taking care of Silas after my escape from Lazarus. The move had been out of caution, in case Lazarus had seen anything in my memory he deemed worthy of checking into. I don't think he had planned on my leaving so soon, because he hadn't pressed me for details on his whereabouts, only his request for his own Dagaz.

"We'll make the trip as quickly as we can," I assured her, my stomach full of butterflies as she stopped outside of a bedroom, turning to face me. "As soon as we're with the other coven, and we have their magic to back our own, there will be no way for Lazarus to find us, even with Seline's help."

"I don't mean the trip, August." The sharpness in her tone caught me by surprise, but it was the look in her gaze that was like a dagger in my chest. "We wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you. I hold a lot of respect for you as the leader of this coven, but I want to make it clear right now that I don't entirely trust you to do the right thing anymore. If there was ever a moment to prove yourself, this would be it."

She had every right to feel that way, and I understood that. It was my own shortsighted selfishness that had opened the door for Lazarus to build an army to begin with, and without my actions, none of us would be in danger. To her, all of this was my fault, and I had to remember that not only was she right, but she wasn't the only one who felt that way. Their reluctance to help was only a consequence of my own behavior.

"That being said," Ophelia continued, her voice softer. "I do think it would do you good to see him. We'll be putting him under a sleep spell before we start the trip, to ensure that we can make this journey as quickly as possible, so this visit will have to be a short one. When everything is said and done, I really do hope you can stick around and raise him, August. We've done our best, but he needs his mother." She pushed the bedroom door open, allowing me to step in first before she followed.

My breath caught in my throat, and I couldn't help the sound that escaped my lips when I looked into those soft, hazel eyes. He was standing in an ornate wooden crib, clinging to the side of it to hold himself up. His face lit up when he saw Ophelia, though it was obvious he didn't recognize me. The thought made my heart sink, but there would be time for him to get to know me when he was no longer in danger.

Without a word, I reached for him, and even without recognition, he allowed me to pick him up. When my skin brushed his, though, I could feel something pass between us, and his eyes seemed to light up as I pulled him to my chest. There was a tightness inside of me that seemed to loosen, the weight of the grief I had been carrying for months lightning.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, feeling the warmth of the tears as they rolled down my cheeks. "Momma never meant for any of this to happen. I was supposed to be here with you."