Sweetwater Redemption

Chapter 8: Six Shovels, One Grave

 It had been a hell of a week, considering Toni had no idea what day it was. Cheryl's wet clothes froze against her body, which seemed to annoy her, but wasn't deadly. It didn't matter that it turned out there was no need for her to jump in the river, Cheryl was so stubborn that she swore she would do it a hundred times over if it meant Toni wouldn't have to.

Toni found it overwhelming, but fascinating, to see her own powers progress and grow. On the other hand, it also terrified her. Before, all Cheryl wanted was for her to accept her own powers. Now, the silent worry of them both was that the powers would go to her head. Despite all Toni's selfless sensibilities, power had the ability to corrupt, magic or otherwise. It would certainly be something to keep an eye out for, much like she needed to do the same for the man who attacked Cheryl in the woods.

Toni saw flashes of what happened from Cheryl's mind. She was angry, and they were arguing, so she paid little mind to the sounds around her. In hindsight, she probably should have noticed the sound seeing as the whole forest was silent.Toni held no blame, but she could tell Cheryl was beating herself up about the blunder. That man came for her in wild slashes. So wild, she could only see the silver gleam of his weapon, not the actual weapon itself.

Toni assumed she had to downplay any concern for her sake, but the truth was, someone new was out to get either Cheryl, or them both.

"Are you alright?" Toni asked, realizing Cheryl was purposefully fogging her mind again.

"Of course T.T, just ready to be home."

Toni nodded as they rounded the curve and the farm came into view.

"What happened in the woods babe?"

Cheryl contained her urges to run away from Toni and the conversation all together. She didn't want to talk about it, but that wasn't an option in a bonded relationship, as Toni silently reminded her.

"I can't tell you for sure what happened. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, then I saw a flash of something silver and the silhouette of a man. The second I looked up he was gone, which is strange because he smelled human. I don't know how a human would have gotten away so quickly without a vehicle and I neither saw, nor heard one. Whatever weapon he used was mortal, I've already healed."

Both women came to a stop beside the fire pit, which Cheryl so kindly lit without needing to move an inch. Despite Toni now having her own powers, she still was always impressed. It took no effort or thought. It was practiced and controlled power, the type of power Toni now so yearned for. On a more primal level, the show of strength and power sent a shiver through her body and a tingle down Toni's spine.

"I'm going to go change. I will be back in a flash." Cheryl announced with a grin. There didn't need to be specific thoughts for her to realize where Toni's mind was. Not even the threat of death could keep their thoughts clean and lust free.

Toni sat on the log that faced the fire pit with a sigh. She missed Cheryl already, and wished the weirdness they were experiencing between them would go away. She threw a log into the fire and stared at the rising embers until something else caught her eye.

The smoke coming from the fire began to dance and move as if there were a particularly playful gust of wind coming through, but there wasn't. There was only one other time Toni saw smoke move that way, and it came with visions of past and present that the Witches Of The Hill showed her.

The moment she thought of the witches, the face Solis appeared in the smoke. It was faint, and Toni was somehow sure no one else could see it, but there she was, the ancient witch and fellow Topaz.