Untamable Resolve: The Witheridge Witches

Ch. 47 - Killer

I closed my eyes and under my breath I muttered, "Tutela murum". Vibrations reverberated through the air, and I felt the protection spell fall over me setting in place. Looking up I saw Matteo and Naomi, eyes wide and staring, recognizing me for the predator that I was. Naomi backed up behind her mate, scared. No one had ever looked at me like a monster before. But I steadied myself rooting myself in the resolve I had seen in my cousin's, Claire's, face before she burned. I would do this. I had to. My hands twitched as I raised them in front of me.

"I don't want to kill you either, but I will do what it takes to end this war."

Quickly, Matteo shifted into his wolf form, but it was too late, and I casually placed a hand up.

"Lyft." I said aloud.

Last night I had considered giving them a chance to fight me, but I wouldn't toy with them. I was not cruel. So I'd strike with purpose and without malicious intent. Naomi screamed and Matteo snarled as they hovered in the air flailing their bodies around trying to escape. There was no merciful way to kill or to die, no matter how quick it was, it was never quick enough or painless. I'd seen enough death to understand that.

Tears streamed down my face as I looked at Naomi's terrified face. She was quiet now looking at her mate whispering that she loved him. He just kept fighting, and he did until the very end. I refused to close my eyes because I would make myself watch this. I would bear witness. And for all of my inexperience when it came to magic I wouldn't botch this. I just needed to follow my instincts. My body knew what to do as my magic built more and more inside of me.

I let all of the anger, sadness, and horror I had experienced in my life bubble up in my chest and then I tugged on the power that I felt surging through my body, the mysterious same power that I had only used once in the forest against the hawk. And then I shattered the two of them - their bodies disentigrating into the air. A strong burst of wind made their blood splatter all over the surroundings and the front of my body.

It took me a second to fully understand what I had done before I retched. And then I screamed at the horror I had caused. Screaming in anguish I fell to my knees, punching the ground hard over and over with my fist in anger - at all of this. I swore the Earth shook. Why had it been so easy? A flick of the finger and they were gone. If I had done that what else was I capable of? I tried to wipe their remains off of me and I started to become hysterical. I felt like a feral animal in distress. After I tired myself out, I stilled as I felt a familiar set of eyes beading into me.

Slow claps sounded from behind me.

I stayed still before turning my head to him.

"There. You. Are. What am I going to do with you?" Silas said in a scarily calm voice that had every single one of my hairs standing on end. When I turned to him I saw he had a smile on his face. I held my chin up meeting his gaze.

How could I be so stupid? It was a trap. Of course it was. Silas had been using me as bait to draw Matteo and Naomi out, and he had been lying and waiting for them.

"I would like to say I'm surprised, but I'm not the liar here. Am I? I am, however, a little offended at hearing you think that killing them meant I'd lose this war." He had a gleam in his eyes like he had struck gold and I didn't like it. Not one bit.

He clicked his tongue, "How did you think that you would be able to hide killing them from me?"

"Yellowstone is a large, dangerous place. Wasn't a part of the Test of Wills surviving the night?" I spat.

"Well, we have about ten minutes to get our story straight before a chopper is here to pick us up. So let's get to work on coming up with something better."