The Witches of Marble Falls

XIX

The voices swam around Emilia's head, feeding her unconscious mind with words and images and emotions. She couldn't make any sense of what they were saying, she was unable to pick out any single voice or phrase. She sat in the centre of a void, darkness around her; she couldn't see her hand in front of her face as she looked around herself. It wasn't until she was crying to herself that she heard a familiar voice.

'Now, now, now—don't cry, Emilia. I'm here for you. Remember that, child, I am always here for you.' Harvey whispered from the darkness. He stepped from the shadows, far from where she sat, and beckoned her forward. She stood and followed him through the void, the voices still screaming and calling out to her. Don't believe him! She heard the words clearly in her mind, and she could swear that she knew the voice but she couldn't put a name, or a face, to it. She pushed the voice and the words out of her mind and continued to follow Harvey.

'Where are you taking me?' She questioned. Harvey let out a laugh, but did not turn around to answer her. He just took step after step after step forward until he stopped in front of a large door.

'You shall see, soon enough. Come, through this door.' He moved aside and ushered her through the doorway. The room was small, too small for the size of the door, and it was just as dark as where she had been. Harvey stood near the entrance, but instructed her to sit in the chair that sat in the centre of the room. She sat, facing Harvey, in silence, waiting for more information.

The sound of floors creaking, of walls shifting, of her mind's foundation settling as if it were a structure made her jump. A smile spread across Harvey's lips and he let out a low laugh.

'She comes.'

***

Valerie watched her sister flail against her blanket, beat her mattress with her fists. She couldn't stop her, she only stared, her knees up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs. She watched as Emilia tried to fight whatever it was that seemed to be attacking her in her dream world; she tried to call out for Agatha or Alaric, but her voice caught in her throat. Emilia cried out, begging and pleading that the thing stop, give her a chance to correct something, leave her alone—the creature seemed to not listen because Emilia continued to thrash against her bed.

Emilia calmed herself, loosened her fists and her grip on her comforter, and let her head fall to the side. Silence filled the room, only her laboured breathing and Valerie's soft cries. She moved to comfort her sister, but stopped when Emilia sat up in her bed.

'She comes.' Emilia whispered. Valerie strained to hear the words, but Emilia repeated them: 'She comes.' She turned her head to Valerie and her eyes were black and her mouth did not move with the words. The voice was not her sister's, it was someone else's—the voice of more than one person combined spoke through Emilia. 'She comes.'

Valerie ran from the room, tripping over the blanket that she had wrapped around her. She stumbled down the stairs to the den, where Agatha and Alaric were sipping tea and discussing historical uses of spells and rituals. Out of breath, she leaned against the door frame and wheezed.

'Emilia—she's awake—she said something...' Her voice trailed off as she took in a deep breath. 'She said she's coming. I don't know what that means—she looked so strange, her eyes were black.'

Alaric and Agatha stood from the couch, concern and fear in their eyes. With a quick glance shared between them they moved around Valerie and up the stairs, calling out to Emilia, telling her they were coming and that they were there for her. Valerie followed them, but there was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

The second floor of the house was colder than it had been when she had awoken, as if a window had been opened. As they entered the bedroom that Valerie and Emilia shared, Alaric cursed under his breath.

'She's gone.' Agatha whispered, ringing her hands. She searched in the closet, under the beds, under the desk—Emilia was gone, and the window was open. Valerie placed her hands on the sill and peered out the frame, smelling the wet earth and the trees and the lake. For a moment, she was comforted by the scents of her world, but was brought back to reality when a crash echoed behind her. She ran, following Alaric and her aunt to the stairs.

'Kittie...?' Agatha's voice was breathy, her eyes filled with tears. Valerie looked over the railing and saw the figure on the first floor, her arms out and her legs twisted. A pool of blood had formed around her head, and her eyes were focused on the ceiling. Agatha screamed, and Valerie wanted to scream too. She had never seen death—even her own parents had been identified by Agatha and Kittie. She had never had to see them once after they took their last breaths. Now, seeing Kittie, her aunt, on the floor, was too much for her mind to comprehend. She shut down, she fell to the floor and her vision went dark.

It's almost over, Valerie. It's almost over. A voice whispered in her mind. She couldn't tell if it was a male or female voice, young or old. It was everything and it was nothing. She lost consciousness as she pondered the words.