The Witch: Book Two of The Sorceress Saga by Taliesin Govannon (top 10 novels of all time .txt) 📗

a shelter for ourselves until they send a ship back with supplies for the colony. We can get back home that way."

                “No!” she raged. “No, I was building something here! For me! They lost faith… they ran away! Now. They. Pay!”

                “Are you going to fly after them?” I knew that she could, actually, but I also knew that she could never do so long enough to catch up to the colonial and Native survivors who had fled.

                An almost evil grin spread across her face. “No.” she said. “I’ll send it through the earth!”

                This was a mistake, and she knew it! I told her that she couldn’t… that the earth energies would feed and sustain her blasting curse, killing everything between her and her prey. I told her that she could, accidentally, kill every human on the continent!

                “Those native savages were just as disloyal as the English!” she said, jaw clenched. “Maybe I SHOULD start over… maybe I should clear the way for good Christian folk to take this land without mixing with the heathens!”

                She started gathering more and more energy until her ball of rage filled the room. It howled like a tornado around us, and I felt like I was in a hurricane.

                “What if it doesn't stop here?" I yelled over the cacophony. "What if you kill everyone on earth?" I didn't think she could, but out of control, magick was VERY unpredictable.

                “Then I will use my powers to create NEW life!” she had ranted. “If the Christian God failed with his pathetic creation, then maybe I should be the new God!”

                I held up the Midnight Fae crystal. “Please Sarah, don’t do this. Don’t make me do this.”

                “What, your little rock is going to stop ME?" she said, laughing cruelly. "I don't know if this will kill vampires too, so just in case… " she said, raising her hands to drive the spell into the ground, "… goodbye."

                “Goodbye." was the last thing I said to her and activated the crystal.

                Holding the it, I was protected from the shock-wave that rippled out from its crystalline form. Sarah's face turned to horror, and then melted away. Her body turned to dust, and fell on the ground.

                The wave continued spreading, dissolving bodies, buildings, and fizzling out a few miles in every direction. Only the trees, one of which bore the abandoned note “Croatoan”, remained.

                I am done. I have failed Petronia. I think I will find a Fae gate and spend some time with my friends there. I need to sleep.

                                                                                                *                *                *

                I spent the next week in Angelique’s arms. After the festival was over, we took some time in the Wood Fae realm. It had been a very long time since our souls had touched like this, and we wanted to savor every moment.

                “Hmm., how many times should we take turns before we go back to the real world?” I asked, curled up, naked, by her side in bed.

                “We can return on Monday after the festival, my love.” she replied. “You know that time doesn’t exist here.”

                “I know, and I will make love to you until we’re both satisfied.” I said, running my hand across her waist to tease her. “But you know that I also love Vincent, and Gaia. My connections with them may be… different than ours, but I love them just as sure as I love you.”

                “I love Vincent with the fire of a thousand suns.” she said, looking into my eyes. “How can I be upset if you love him too? And Vincent isn’t the only one who has known Gaia’s touch.” She settled back on the bed and drew me into her embrace. “Just know… “ she continued, “… that I’m willing to share you with whoever wins your heart in everyday life, but I’m not willing to share you with another when we lay in bed together. Vincent may enjoy mixing his relationships in all kinds of numbers, but when I have you to myself, I want you to myself.”

                “That is one hundred percent fair and acceptable.” I said, running my hand over her chest. I brushed against her nipple, and I felt her sharp intake of breath. “Oh, you like that, do you?” I said with a grin. I moved my head to suck her other nipple into my mouth, and I felt her body come alive beneath me.

                                                                                                *                *                *

                Angelique and I stood in front of the dwelling that had been loaned to us, waiting for Rini to come and open a portal to our realm. She had agreed to open it so that we could return on the Monday after the festival, the same day that our friends had.

                I looked at Angelique and smiled. “Everyone’s going to be wondering about your hair.” I said.

                Before she had been turned into a vampire, Angelique had been born with bright red hair. The vampire who turned her… the same one who had turned Vincent… had a unique side-effect to being turned by him, however: it made your hair turn pitch-black. No bleach would fade it, and no dyes would take… Angelique had tried.

                However, ever since she had made love to me, her hair had started showing deep, vivid purple streaks. We noticed when the sun came up Sunday morning. We left for the Fae realm before anyone could see us, sending word to our friends to go ahead and pack up and that we’d see them back home on Monday.

                “The black in my hair matches the darkness in the soul of Christoph, the vampire who sired me.” she said. “I have lain with the Sorceress, fountain of the energy called life. I’m not surprised that the darkness faded.”

                “Yeah, but it’s purple instead of red.” I pointed out.

                Angelique laughed. “The young lady with the red hair died a