The Five Cursed Witches: Volume 1 - Zoe, the Witch of Innocence

Chapter 20 The amulet

Zoe

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I knew I needed to do something. I needed to solve the situation. I couldn't kill Felix's father, but I also couldn't let my own father end up in danger. How to solve it all, though, I had no idea, but at least I could do some recon. If nothing else, to keep myself and my mind occupied. Figure out where Harry Jackson went during his days, who he was surrounded by. It would also be a good idea to figure out what the amulets surrounding the estate did.

That's where I started my day. I wasn't going to meet with Felix until the evening, so why not use the day to spy on his father? Oh joy, a little over a week ago, I had really thought there was no way to make my life even more miserable. Then I had thought I had reached the bottom by meeting and leaving Felix. But this... This was a whole new low.

I teleported to outside their house. Right before, I had taken the concealment potion that I had made to watch, not stalk, Felix. With that one working its magic, I walked up to the fence and went along it to the side. I knew I needed to get a hold of one of the amulets to be able to test its abilities. Possibly I would have to take it away with me. So it was better to not take one at the front of the house, but to the side where they hopefully didn't pay as much attention.

Around the back, the forest had grown right up to the fence. Hopefully, they didn't check there that often and the trees would garner some protection in case something happened to the concealment. I looked up to find the closest amulet and started climbing the fence to get to it. That all went surprisingly easy, but when I got to the amulet and grabbed hold of it, my heart sank.

I could feel how the magic concealing me got sucked out. How all magic in me seemed to disappear.

Immediately, I hooked the amulet off the fence and jumped down. I landed slightly off and stumbled, but made sure to straight away get properly into the forest so that I would be away from prying eyes.

If they had security cameras in that direction, I would definitely have been seen while on the fence. I didn't know what scared me the most. The potential of a witch hunter seeing me stealing the amulet, or that Felix would see it. A witch hunter's anger or my mate's hurt. And the problem was that considering how the amulet seemed to work, there was no way for me to fix any recordings right then.

Hidden by the trees, I looked at the amulet to check it out more completely. While holding it, I tried to conjure up fire with my other hand, just to feel that the energy that should have been used for the spell instead was just drained out of me. Like pushing against a rock that wouldn't budge. I then put the amulet down and tried the same thing, and the fire began to dance in my hand. But as soon as I picked the amulet up once more, the fire disappeared.

The amulets were more powerful than I had thought. They seemed to block all witchcraft. So likely with all of those around the estate, I wouldn't be able to use magic at all on the other side of the fence.

A fleeting thought, which I quickly grabbed hold of, passed through my mind. Would that include my killing touch?

Excitement washed over me. A bubbling anticipation. If that was the case, I simply had to wear one of these amulets, and I could be like a normal person. I didn't care about my magic. If that was what I had to sacrifice to be able to touch living things, then that was all fine. Even if it was to get to hold Felix's hand just once, it was worth it.

I put the amulet around my neck and then held my hands in front of me. I took a deep breath and tried to will my hands to stop shaking. That was much easier said than done. They refused to stop.

I bit my lip and took hold of my left glove with my right hand.

One more breath.

I pulled the glove off in a fast and swift motion. And froze.

When did I last see my hand without the glove on? I really couldn't remember. The skin was so white. Almost sickly pale. And also weirdly perfect. The lack of any small unevenness or blemishes that there would have been had I just as much as ever carried a bag with my bare hands made it look unreal. It was too untouched to be real, and I hated it.

But I shook my head to get over that. If the amulet worked for this, I could use my hands for things. They would become alive and not look like the hands of a ghost.

I put my hand out towards the grass. It shook uncontrollably, worse than before, but I forced it down.

The second my middle finger grazed the first grass blade, the slight light I had felt inside me turned to complete darkness. Pitch black, unyielding, all-consuming darkness. The blade went from green and healthy to brown and dead. An odd contrast to the life surrounding it.

I had no idea for how long I had just sat there and stared at that single blade of grass when I came back to myself. I slid the glove onto my hand again. Took off the amulet and simply let it fall to the ground, not giving a damn anymore. Then I started walking without really knowing where I was walking to.

I was tired and empty. Nothing mattered and there was nothing within me in that moment, except the knowledge of what I was and always would be.

Cursed.

Damned.

Evil.

Unnatural.

Freak.

Monster.

Murderer.