Hallow's: Witch's Brew

Twenty-Five

The Plot In You- FEEL NOTHING 

I rush out of the store looking in the direction of my house to see the huge cloud of smoke. 

"No," I rush to my car and start heading back. The flames are in the backyard. 

"Gaz, no," Noah wraps his arms around me when I try to get past him. 

"My grandmother's grimoires," I push him away. 

I reach for anything. Any source of water and try smothering the fire. It's gone past my greenhouse and into the study area. I push the flames back as best I can. Noah and I both take as many books from the shelves as we can. This isn't a normal fire. As soon as we get outside the Tiffany glass explodes and the entirety of the cottage is up in flames. 

"Gastly," Cody and the others come over to me as I stare up at generations of witchcraft turning to nothing. "Hey, hey. Look at me. Were you in there?" 

I can't look away from the flames. They're a pretty cerise pink. Celestia has chosen her side. I look down at the twelve grimoires I managed to get out. I've been here before. The calmness of the storm just before I get ready to explode. Just before my blood charges with power and drives me to do the unforgivable. I don't know if I'm going to be able to hold it back this time. I stopped the last time I had my hands around her neck, but this isn't just some lie. This is our entire history. 

"No," Noah kneels down in front of me. "Gaz, you can't. You're so close to freedom," he reaches for me and I slap his hand away. "Gaz, this is what they want. You go to the temple and burn it all down then what? You'll be responsible for the deaths of everyone inside. This only turns things in your favor," 

"He's right, little mouse," Cody picks up some of my books. "Step back, kid. She's about to explode," 

"She can't hurt me," he says handing her the books in his arms. "Look at me," he demands. "Just let it out," 

"Not yet," I take a deep breath and push my hair out of my face. "We should move away. Once the fire hits the potions it's all going to shit," 

Cody and Noah get in the car with me. The explosion rocks the streets. I shut my eyes letting the strength of the storm flood through me. Rain starts to come down hard as the sirens of the fire trucks wail. All I can do is contain the blaze. Keep it from spreading but we're going to have to let it die out on its own. Did they even think about the other houses? The other witches that live here? 

"Ahsan is on his way," Cody says after a while. 

"Marianne is working with Ludwig Armstrong," I try to keep it together. "Zuri said that they had been meeting with the high priest for days leading up to her assault. All hours of the day. They could have been setting him on her the way they did with me," 

"What?" Noah turns to look at me. 

"Do we know what they were using yet?" I ask Cody. 

"Gaz-" 

"Cody, please," 

"A tie potion. One of yours. The early recipes. Enough to make him do what he did. We ran the samples. Had your sister not killed him the dose they used would have. He probably fought it. I'm not sure why," 

"He was in love with Celestia," I rest my forehead on the steering wheel. "I gave her a potion to terminate her pregnancy when I first got here. Those are her flames. She probably used the portal in the backyard to light the plants on fire," 

"Okay, but it would make more sense if she were on our side. They did this to him," she tried to deny it. 

"She doesn't know. I haven't seen her since. Who knows what they've told her,"