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

Jack and Raina were seated near me, while Vincent stood behind my chair.  Trevor, Evelyn, and Angelique were seated facing us by the map.  After I sipped my coffee again, Trevor stood up.

                “Okay, so you've all met me,” he began.  Evelyn elbowed him in the thigh, and he winced.  “Er, met us, I mean.  So let's get right to things, eh?”

                Everyone stared at him, not moving nor making a sound.

                “Right!” he continued.                “Evelyn and I were able to dig up information on seven additional lake appearances throughout recorded history, which, along with your six, makes thirteen verifiable mysterious lakes.”

                “So in addition to South Africa, Brazil, Tibet, Russia, and Israel,” Evelyn continued, staying seated, “we also have ones in Alaska and the mountains of British Columbia here in North America, Ecuador in Central America, one in the aboriginal lands in Australia, one in Romania, as well as a lake that appeared in Norway around the time of Erik the Red.”

                “That's twelve, with  ours.” Raina said. “What's the thirteenth?”

                “There are some who believe that Loch Ness originated as one of these mystery lakes.” Angelique said softly.

                “Wait, Loch Ne-ess-ess?” Jack coughed as he exhaled.  “The Loch Ness?”

                “There are some old, lost local legends about a time before the 'haunted lake' came to be on the land.” Trevor explained.  “They say that the other legends, like the one about Saint Columba, were concocted by a nervous church to fool future generations into thinking that the lake had always been there.”

                “All evidence of the legends of a time before the lake were successfully suppressed by the church, and no living human soul knows or remembers them.”  Evelyn continued.  “Except for those in this room.”

                “And we only know because a very helpful companionship demon named Lilith was created in Scotland not long after the lake appeared, so she remembers.”  Trevor shifted uncomfortably when I grinned at the name Lilith.

                “I'm sure we're all indebted to you for your sacrifice in obtaining that information.”  Raina gave a wicked grin after she spoke.  I had filled her and Jack in on my night-time wanderings over breakfast.

                Trevor coughed uncomfortably.  “Uh, yeah, you're welcome.”

                “We have learned that this did, indeed, match the pattern of a mystery lake appearing near the home of a supernatural creature.” Evelyn continued.  “Lilith told us that there was a vampire living in exile near there, not far from the modern location of Boleskine House.”

                “Home to both occultist Aleister Crowley as well as rock star-occultist Jimmy Page.” Trevor added.

                “However, neither of them lived there when the lake appeared." Evelyn said with an eye roll.  "The person in question was a five-hundred-year-old vampire named Fergus, and Lilith had been trying to help him through dealing with the destruction of his life-mate Katherine, a vampire who was over four hundred herself."

                "One day he just up and disappears." Trevor said.  "Not too many things could take out an elder vamp-like Fergie there, but Lilith never saw him again."

                “Couldn't he have moved on?” asked Raina.

                “He wouldn't have left Lilith without saying goodbye.” Evelyn asserted.  “Trust me, all manner of beings have fallen for Lilith over the centuries.”

                “The two households that I know of... the ones in Russia and South Africa... also disappeared suddenly, and without a trace.” Angelique said.  “The Russian one was a couple of elder vampires, while the folks in South Africa were Wood Fae who wanted to live in this world for a spell.  I wasn't in contact with them when they vanished, and only heard of it years after the fact.”

                "The Alaskan lake appeared near a colony of were-bears..." Trevor continued but was interrupted by Jack.

                “Were-bears?” the stoned tech genius asked.  “Is that people who turn into hairy gay men?”

                “No, it's a half-man, half grizzly bear nightmare from hell.” Evelyn said, with a look that said she was talking from experience.

                “Woah.” Jack shuddered.

                “That's why they settle in the mountains of places like Alaska,” Trevor added, “because they're a fairly scary thing to run into, and don't want large groups of locals forming hunting parties.”

                “The lake in British Columbia is just a mile from the border with the northern territories.” Evelyn continued.  “It appeared near a small settlement of Amarok in the sixteenth century.”

                “Amarok are a variety of large, wolf-like creatures.” Trevor added.  “They never become human, so they're not were-creatures.”

                “They're actually very peaceful.” Evelyn continued.  “But tough.  I have no idea who could take out an entire settlement, but they vanished as well.”

                “It's like that everywhere.” Angelique said, finally rising.  “A lake appears, and soon an established residence or territory of supernatural being is seemingly abandoned.”

                “And now one's appeared right next to this residence.” Raina observed gloomily.  “Great.”

                “No one who has seen a lake when it's first appeared has survived to talk about it, either.”  Trevor said.

                “Except me.” I said, speaking up for the first time.  “I saw it the morning after it arrived.  And there's something else...”

                I proceeded to tell them about my dream the night before, the one that happened prior to my out of body wandering.  When I was done, I apologized about not saying anything until now.

                “That's okay,” Vincent said, putting his hand on my shoulder, “you really haven't had time to tell us.”

                “A snake-worm creature?” Evelyn said, intrigued.  “Well, the legend of the Loch Ness Monster has to come from somewhere.”

                “A worm creature and an Asian ghost lady?” Raina said, thinking.  “Sounds like a three pizza night for me and Jack tonight!”

                “I'll join you.” I said, smiling.

                “Actually, we might need you to walk about, out of your body tonight, to take a surreptitious look around.” Evelyn said.  “See if you can see anything that would hide from us corporeal types.”

                “As long as I don't get banished.” I said, looking pointedly at Trevor.

                “Look, all I knew was that we were being spectrally spied on.”