Chapter 4
Morgan awoke after a really long sleep. She smiled when she felt Hunter's really strong arms encircled around her waist and gently kissing her neck.
"Sorry. Did I wake you?" Hunter asked.
"No" Morgan said and looked outside the window it was already dark. She turned her head so she could see the clock. 9:10.
"Crap!" Morgan said and detangled herself from Hunter and flew around the room looking frantically for her clothes but then remembered they were all somewhere downstairs. She ran downstairs in just her knickers then quickly slipped all her clothes back on.
"What's going on?" Hunter asked.
"I'm late" Morgan said.
"For what?" Hunter asked.
"Amyranth wanted me back there by nine. For Amyranth initiation" Morgan said slipping on her brown suede boots and tied her hair back, "God I have slept for hours. You worn me out" Morgan said laughing slightly. Hunter laughed and sat down beside her. Morgan smiled and hugged him tightly burying her head in the crook of his shoulder.
"I really don't want to go, but I have to" Morgan said.
"I know love," Hunter said stroking her hair, "Just stick it out." Hunter said kissing her neck.
"I need to go" Morgan said and got up and walked to the front door, "Later Sky!" Morgan shouted into the house.
"Bye!" Sky shouted back. Hunter came up to the door and thankfully put on a dressing gown before he came down.
"I love you" Morgan said kissing him and turning away and walking down the front path to her car. She turned around and put her laptop and other stuff in the car. Turned and ran just before Hunter shut the door jumped him and pressed her lips to his. Encircling her arms around his neck. Hunter placed his hands around her waist and pulled back.
"Ok, Morgan. No matter how much I want to keep you here. You need to go. So you don't get in trouble," Hunter said letting her go and taking her arms form around his neck.
"Ok." Morgan said this time walking away and getting in her car and driving off. When she pulled up Exlea landed on the ground shifting back from her owl form.
"I was just about to come and get you. Try and stay out the way of Ciaran. He isn't happy" Exlea warned.
"Yeah. I'm really sorry I was sleeping and I woke up ten minutes past nine. I'm really sorry" Morgan said.
"I shouldn't be the on your apologising to" Exlea said just when Ciaran bashed open the front doors.
"Exlea go inside," Ciaran said in a nice tone even when he was fuming with anger really.
"Yes" Exlea said and went inside.
Ciaran then turned on Morgan and opened the door signalling for her to get inside.
Morgan stepped inside and waited for a real shouting at, "I told you to be back here for nine. On the first day we give you our trust the one request we ask you wont do it" Ciaran said not shouting but he was telling her off.
"I'm really sorry. I can't tell you why I'm late because it's personal. But I'll tell you this much I was sleeping and I not long woke up" Morgan apologized.
"Morgan, I know you don't trust us that much but were trying to get you to trust us, we need to be able to trust you as well. I'm just going to let this one slide. Next slip up though you will be punished and it isn't nice. Well now since you came home late we have cancelled your initiation so instead the spell you will be casting for your initiation is the resurrection spell. But we are going to choose your animal counterpart now. Get dressed in a black robe and meet us in the circle room" Ciaran said and went to get ready himself.
Morgan climbed the stairs into her own room. She put her laptop case beside her Hunter-less bed and quickly stripped down and changed into a black robe and let her long hair cascade in brown waves down her back. Morgan wondered back down the stairs wondering where the hell the circle room was. She cast out her senses and searched for Amyranth's energy patterns. She followed their auras until she came to a door. She hesitantly opened it and Amyranth looked up at her when she came in. Ciaran wordlessly pointed to the centre of the pentagram. Morgan shut her eyes and then opened them again dispelling her nervousness and stepped into the middle of the pentagram. A dark light then glowed around the pentagram and the members took their places on the points. Ciaran at the top, Raquel to his right on the next point, Rei next to her, Exlea next to Rei and Dani on the opposite side of Ciaran and Morgan in the centre.
Ciaran started to chant a dark evil power draw chant and the rest chanting along with him made Morgan's skin crawl. The black light surrounding Morgan intensified and was bursting with power. Five beams of black light all hit Morgan at once. The beams struck her and it felt like five huge knifes being rammed into her heart; her soul. Morgan bit her lip as the black light intensified searching her soul for her animal counterpart. She felt like screaming when the beams left her painfully taking some of her magick by force and turning it into an animal mask being created magickally in front of her. The chanting stopped and the mask dropped into Morgan's hands. In the shape of a cheetah. She suddenly felt light headed from all the pain and magick that was coursing through her made her unbearably dizzy and fainted backwards and Rei caught her before she hit the floor.
"She alright, Rei?" Ciaran asked.
"Yeah she seems alright. She is just probably drained from all that. She will wake up again soon," Rei answered.
"Alright, I'll take her to her bedroom and wait till she wakes up" Ciaran said taking his daughter from Rei and holding her bridal style and used his magick and was back again in Morgan's room. He lay her on the soft quilts and then took the mask clutched tightly in her hand. He too it from her and looked at it. The entire mask was covered with cheetah spots and had rounded ears and carved in whiskers. He lay it down in one of the draws and noticed a tight black bundle of silk. He picked it up and the piece of Lapis Lazuli fallen out in his hand. He cast his senses out towards him and wanted to find any carriers vibrations. Two people unknown to him, Hunters and Morgan's. He just laid it back in the draw wrapped in the black silk. And pulled up a chair and waited till Morgan woke up. Morgan started to toss and turn in her sleep. She whispered something really quiet out and Ciaran could barely hear her. She then shot up touching her head gingerly checking for something. She then breathed out whispering words to dispel tension then looked to the side and seen Ciaran looking at her. She didn't say anything just waited till he spoke.
"What did you dream about?" Ciaran asked.
"How would you know I was dreaming?" Morgan asked confused.
"You had a really uncomfortable sleep." Ciaran said, "I thought you were dreaming so what you dream of?"
"I dreamt that I was in a graveyard. I was there and five other people. I knew instantly it was us resurrecting Maeve. We completed it but a man came up and witnessed most of what was happening. The spell just ended when someone heard him running off. You were holding on to Maeve because she hadn't woken up but she was breathing. You wouldn't send me to kill him would you?" Morgan asked.
Ciaran was taken aback slightly and tried to put it nicest way possible, "Well I am the fastest runner in my animal form. All the others are to slow and owls cant exactly kill anyway. But I'm really sorry but yes I would." Ciaran said.
"I know…" Morgan replied.
"I'm sorry. Anyway you are the fastest runner now" Ciaran said holding up her animal mask, "You're a cheetah right?"
"I think so. Could be a leopard though," Morgan said.
"Could be but it looks more like a cheetah to me" Ciaran said and then stood up, "You did good by the way. I need you to do me a favour tomorrow but I'll ask you at breakfast. For now get some sleep." Ciaran said and walked out the room.
Morgan sighed and lay back in her bed. She wondered what the dream meant, if it was what her future had in store for her. She picked up her mask from her side table and looked at it. It definitely looked like a cheetah's. Spots as cheetahs and the small eyes. Each characteristic was well defined and whiskers perfectly carved in and it almost looked realistic. She was just staring at the mask she didn't even realise Hunter come in through the window.
"I thought you were asleep," Hunter said.
"What are you doing here?" Morgan asked, "If they find you here, god knows what they'll do"
"Calm down. I passed their warding spells without to much trouble." Hunter said and laid down some bags of her clothes.
"Are you moving me out?" Morgan asked.
"No. You will come back to me one day." Hunter grinned, "By the way. This afternoon. You still owe me"
"What!" Morgan laughed, "Well no more for you for a while." Hunter was about to say something when Morgan cut him off with a serious look, "Listen you really have to go. Before you get caught" Morgan said getting up slowly giving him a long passionate kiss on the mouth, which Hunter returned only, to be broke by…
"Morgan?" A witch said from outside the door, "Who are you talking to" She said stepping inside it was Raquel, "What are you doing here?" She said towards Hunter.
"Raquel please don't tell Ciaran," Morgan pleaded.
"I wont but he has to leave now and don't ever come back" Raquel said.
"Thank you" Morgan and Hunter said at the same time.
"Go" Raquel ordered again. Hunter obeyed and then jumped out the window lowering himself down the drainpipe. Morgan watched him from the window when he finally hit the ground she blew him a kiss and shut the window.
"How are you feeling?" Raquel asked.
"Better but a bit shaky" Morgan replied getting changed into a nightdress.
"Alright that's all I came in for really. Night"
"Night" Morgan said and smiled and then Raquel left the room and Morgan just got into her soft feather bed and went to sleep.
Morgan awoke in the morning with the sunlight streaming through her just opened curtain; "Wakey wakey" Exlea said shaking her awake cheerfully.
Morgan groaned and turned over. Exlea laughed and put her hand to her neck and whispered something, "Escre dunatos" (Just so you know that was made off the top of my head). Morgan jumped from the jolt at the back of her neck and was awake almost falling off the side of the bed.
"Ok ok I'm awake!" Morgan shouted.
"Good now your up. Ciaran needs to talk to you" Exlea said, "Come down when your ready but hurry" Exlea then left the room after she was doing what she was ordered to do.
Morgan sighed and got up and put on some of her clothes, which were jeans that flared at the ends slightly. A top, which went half way, down her arms and was a light purple almost lilac. She brushed her hair through and then went down to breakfast when she got there Dani, Rei and Ciaran were the only ones sitting on the table.
"Where are Raquel and Exlea?" Morgan asked sitting down.
"Raquel is upstairs translating, Exlea had gone out to get ingredients for the spell." Rei answered, "You did great last night by the way"
"Thanks" Morgan smiled self consciously looking down at her plate.
"Well, what animal did you get?" Asked Dani curiously.
"A cheetah I think" Morgan answered, taking a sip of her tea.
"Alright well I'm going to help Raquel" Dani said standing up and leaving the room. Morgan seen Ciaran roll his eyes and looked back to his breakfast plate.
Rei also excused himself, "I think I'll go and see if San Francisco has got anything yet"
"Alright" Ciaran said then Rei left the room.
"Why were you rolling your eyes at Dani?" Morgan asked when both Rei and Dani had left the room.
"Raquel and Dani are a couple" Ciaran explained, "They don't leave each other alone. You didn't notice?"
"No I didn't notice." Morgan said, "I haven't been around to notice" Morgan added quietly.
"True. Anyway. That favour…" Ciaran started but trailed off not wanting to ask.
"What is it?" Morgan said.
"We still need to find Maeve's grave. Where her ashes were buried. They were buried because I checked not long after. They didn't tell me where though."
"Oh yeah ok I can help with that. Go out of town to the graveyard on the edge of Ballynigel."
"You already know?"
"Well yes. She is Belwickets Ancestor. Katrina the previous high priestess showed me it. She requested her remains get bought back to her hometown with her family. You didn't think of that?"
"No. I didn't even think anyone except from Maeve and Angus had survived the dark wave that was set on them. Until recently of course. So I didn't take it into account"
"Well get ready and I'll take you" Morgan said and finished her tea.
"Why is it you don't eat your breakfast?" Ciaran asked realising she never really ate her toast in the mornings at all.
"I'm used to having diet coke and pop tarts for breakfast," Morgan answered laughing slightly.
Morgan went back upstairs to her bedroom when she had finished her breakfast with Ciaran. She had promised to call Hunter every night to tell him every thing so he wouldn't worry but she would probably stop by later. She got her laptop that was plugged into the wall and quickly cast a spell so when she gets into the Internet it couldn't be traced back to the house so Ciaran wouldn't get suspicious.
She had one email from a person she didn't know and one from Hunter. She opened the email from Hunter and it was just for checking how she was etc. She just left it not bothering to reply. Then she opened the unknown email and it was someone urgent requesting her healing services. She clicked reply not knowing what to write. Her fingers floated over the keys then started to type a message.
Hello,
Im very sorry as I have had a slight delay in my work. I promise I will come and help your mother quickly as possible. I hope this delay wont end tragically.
Once again my deepest apologies,
Morgan Niall. (Guys im sorry about this is a previous chapter I put 'Rowland's' I actually meant to put Niall. SORRYYY)
She closed her laptop getting up and grabbing her keys from her bedside cabinet. Then a small jacket Hunter had bought around last night.
Trust Hunter to bring the sexy jacket... Morgan thought. It was to him anyway the sexiest jacket she owned. It was long sleeved black leather. It didn't fit her like second skin like most leather stuff did. She let her long/ medium brown her cascade down her back in brown waves. Sliding her hand through her hair pulling her hair back then letting it fall and frame her face nicely. She ran out the room forgetting to shut the door then using magick to close it.
What is wrong with me... I'm already using magick for anything... Morgan said but just continued walking outside where Ciaran was already waiting outside her car. She ran around to the driver's side of her silver car. She unlocked the car and got in. Ciaran got in but didn't bother with the seatbelt. Surprisingly neither did Morgan.
They took about fifteen minutes to get out of Cobh. Then they drove to Ballynigel. Morgan had only been here a few times before. Ciaran obviously hadn't been here in a while and looked out the window with a sad expression. Morgan drove to their graveyard. Especially for the previous Belwicket witches. Morgan nodded for Ciaran to get out of the car.
Not waiting for Morgan Ciaran got out the car and walked up to the gates. Oddly they were locked with a huge lock. Ciaran cast a glance over his shoulder at Morgan and Morgan drew a quickly sigil in the air whilst still locking the car. Ciaran then took the lock in his hand and whispered some harsh words out of his mouth. The padlock locking the gate shut and the chains started to dissolve. The last words were deep growl and the chain practically exploded in Ciaran's hands. Using magick he swung the gates off its hinged thankfully didn't break any of the headstones.
Morgan caught up to Ciaran and they walked inside the graveyard. Morgan went right to the back and lay the most new headstone even though they all looked weather worn and old, but this one looked newer. Morgan scowled at the headstone cursing Belwicket several times for not taking care of their ancestor's remains. She knelt down next to her great-grandmothers grave and laid her hand on it using her magick to let them look the least bit attractive. Doing the same with he grandmothers and her mothers. Morgan then stepped back and let Ciaran look at his soulmate grave.
"I never meant to kill you..." Ciaran said stroking his fingers over her name on the gravestone.
"Then why did you?" Morgan asked out of impulse.
"Because if she wouldn't be with me, I couldn't bear for myself to watch her to be with someone else. Selfish, I know"
Morgan smiled briefly then just shut up and waited till he was finished. Soon Ciaran bought himself out from his daydream just from staring at the headstone. He traced something Morgan didn't recognize.
"What that for?" Morgan asked.
"So we can find the stone again without to much trouble. We could probably have her back with us by Friday." Ciaran said and stood back up and followed Morgan out the graveyard then asked, "Can you drive somewhere. I want to ask you something"
"Sure" Morgan said and drove back into town and stopped outside a pub, "They don't have good places in Ballynigel. Lets just say its full of drunken idiots now."
"Fair enough." Ciaran laughed. They got out the car and no head whipped in their direction. Morgan ordered to drink then taken it to a spare room with a table and chairs.
"Right. What is it?"
"I would like you not to go see Hunter tonight" Ciaran said and Morgan was about the protest when Ciaran said, "I know your not good at Gaelic but I would like you to help translate as much as you can."
"I would be lying if I said I'm not annoyed by it but I really don't see the point. Since I can't translate I won't be of any help" Morgan said as nicely as she could.
"Your lying when you say you cant translate. You're just not good at it. To tell you the truth I'm not either and neither was Maeve."
"True."
"Plus sooner we get it translated sooner you will have your mother back."
Not the right thing to say. Another thing in common Morgan and Ciaran shared. Saying the wrong things to the wrong person and at the wrong time, "You already know how I feel about this spell. So I wouldn't say that" Morgan said nicely taking a mouthful of her drink which tasted awful. She chucked the drink in the bin.
"Yeah that was a stupid thing to say," Ciaran agreed, "On the subject of the spell?" Ciaran asked raising his eyebrows.
Morgan got it. She hadn't thought about it much. She hasn't even told Hunter and she knew he would help her make the sensible decision but Morgan couldn't really turn to him anymore since circumstances has changed and she would soon change for the worse so she didn't want to hold back anymore in case nothing could be done, "Alright. I'll do it"
"Great." Ciaran said feeling quite relived.
"I'll also help with the Gaelic" Morgan sighed and looked down at the table waiting for Ciaran to finish his drink.
"Morgan, please will you at least try to like it here" Ciaran said.
"It's not that. Well it is but its other stuff as well" Morgan said sharply, "It's just everything I worked for, everything I'm good at is worth nothing now."
"Well Morgan I'm sorry but a Amyranth witch doesn't heal people. We kill them by any means necessary"
"I know." Morgan said, thinking why she had bought it up when she actually did hate it here, " Well. You done"
"Yes" Ciaran said and followed Morgan out the room.
"I am so not paying for them drink since mine tasted like shit"
"You don't have to" Ciaran said, "Just wipe their memory think they never seen you"
"You do it" Morgan said.
Ciaran's eyes concentrated on the bar tender that served Morgan. He was whispering something that Morgan recognised to make someone forget a small amount of time. Morgan cast out her senses then the bar tenders head snapped in her direction. Blood Witch. Obviously.
"Ciaran stop" Morgan whispered and Ciaran broke eye contact with the bar tender.
"What?"
"She is a blood witch. She will know that you cast a spell on her."
"Good point. So how do we get out of here then."
"Illusion spell?"
"No she could see right through it" Ciaran said.
"You-see-me-not?"
"You could but once again she could see through it."
"It's worth a try" Morgan pointed out then chanted to words of the strongest invisibility spell she knew. Ciaran did the same and they started to run towards the door. They actually managed to make it outside. When the bar tender noticed the door open and close. She went out to see who left but no one was there. She cast out her own senses looking for the two witches but couldn't find a trace of them ever being there.
Morgan hid behind the wall with Ciaran mentally shutting herself down so the witch won't find them. When the witch had gone back inside Morgan and Ciaran walked to the car. She got inside and turned the ignition and started to drive back to Cobh. They drove back to the house in silence then parked outside the Amyranth's house.
"Mum!" A familiar voice shouted and Morgan recognised it as Moira's.
"What are you doing here?" Morgan whispered.
Just as Morgan new Moira was standing there hand in hand with Ian. Also Hunter walking along side them. "I was just heading to Katrina's to err…" Moira said but stopped herself seeing Ciaran standing there.
"I told you to keep her away from here" Morgan said turning on Hunter.
"I'm sorry I didn't know you would be out here," Hunter answered.
"Morgan," Ciaran said, "Who is this?" He asked to make his presence known.
"Err…" Morgan said, "Go now"
"Mum…" Moira started.
"Now!" Morgan shouted and Moira walked away with Ian. Hunter still stood there just looking at Morgan, "Hunter, I… won't be seeing you tonight"
"Why?"
She was about to spill everything to him but Ciaran standing there watching the scene would hear everything, "I'm busy"
"Fair enough. Call me at least" Hunter said and ran off after Moira.
"My grand daughter?" Ciaran asked after a few minutes.
"Yes. I didn't introduce you because I don't want her around you or anything associated with Dark Magick"
"I see. She is powerful though"
"Yes she is. She defeated a dark wave when she wasn't initiated so…" Morgan said.
Ciaran nodded and then walked inside the house without a word. Morgan threw a glance over her shoulder at the direction her daughter just left by. Then an idea came to her. She ran inside and went down into the room where Amyranth were making the spell. She was the only one in there and she spelled the door strongly. She moved past the papers and everything that was left on the floor. She managed to get over to the bookcases. She scanned the titles quickly and then pulled out one called Illusion magick. She pulled it out and quickly found the spell Ciaran uses to contact a witch.
She quickly drew a circle and left an opening gathered the elements and invoked the Goddess and the God. She called on her power and tried to do it as secretly as she could. She knew that when Amyranth seen her working this spell they wouldn't be happy. Then she started the words of an actual spell. They were in Gaelic but Morgan could speak it but she didn't know what she was saying. She lit the candle when instructed and called up the image of her daughter. Soon she saw her daughter at Katrina's with Hunter and Ian. Morgan drew a quick sigil in the air and let her self be dragged magickally into the candles image.
Smoke started to form in Katrina's house and Hunter was about to banish whatever it was thinking it was a member of Amyranth. Then spell stopped him from drawing the banishing sigil in the air and Morgan's image floated before him. It was extremely realistic. It was almost ghost like but it was colourful and defined every thing about her.
"Don't… I don't have long," Morgan said. Then she turned to Moira.
"I'm really sorry about snapping at you" Morgan said floating close in front of Moira.
"It's alright. I understand" Moira said staring at the real lifelike image of her mother thinking she was hallucinating.
"Do not come near that house again. Please Moira."
"I won't. I promise" Moira said.
"Keep her away from there." Morgan said going up to Hunter.
"I will and what are you doing?"
"The spell that Ciaran used to contact me."
"Morgan…" Hunter said as if he was about to say something about using Dark Magick.
"Don't Hunter. Face it. There is nothing we can do. Just have to hope for the best really…"
"Morgan don't tell me your giving up?" Hunter said.
"I'm not. I just don't want to hang onto false hope." Morgan smiled. Then her head flung around to the door, "I have to go"
"Wait-" Hunter said trying to grab the 'image' Morgan's hand but fell right through it.
"No I have to go" Morgan said doubling over holding her head, "I'm sorry"
Morgan holding her head in pain blew out the central candle and her image on the other side winked out. Just as she dismantled the circle Amyranth crashed through the door.
"What were you doing?" Ciaran asked Morgan who was just putting the book back on the shelve.
"A spell…" Morgan said.
Ciaran used his Magesight to see the book that Morgan just put back. He read the title and then acknowledged what she was actually doing, "Honestly Morgan. Why did you use that spell to contact your family?"
"I had to tell them something important?"
"You didn't tell them about the spell did you?" Ciaran hissed suddenly.
"No. I wouldn't spread that out…"
"Good…" Ciaran said, "Why didn't you let me in?"
"I thought you would be mad or something if you caught me in the act" Morgan confessed.
"Oh. Well no I wouldn't. I know it seems to you that we have a narrow view on things. But we don't really"
"Well we are going to do some translating. Convenient that you're here" Ciaran said.
Raquel came in holding a small pile of paper. and divided it by 5 so they only had a small amount to do. Exlea wasn't there because she was still out getting ingredients.
"Goddess Raquel. When I meant devote your time to it I didn't mean loose sleep" Ciaran said sarcastically.
"Well its almost done now." Raquel said, "Be happy"
Morgan glanced at the first word and it meant 'in' she got that much. But when Exlea wondered in an hour later she was still on the same page when everyone had like a page left.
"Well?" Ciaran asked.
"I got everything. Took much persuasion… " Exlea said and everyone knew what she meant. She blackmailed the witches selling the stuff with their life. Exlea sat down next to Raquel who whispered something in here ear. Then she sat by Morgan and took some of her papers.
"I was told you were having trouble with it so I'll help" Exlea said sitting beside her translating her own and helping Morgan when she was stuck. Eventually after 2 hours or so they were all done. Everything translated into English.
"Now we put it together," Ciaran said feeling worn out.
"Yeah but none of us are brilliant spell crafters" Morgan pointed out, "You need a good spell crafter to put together a big spell"
"Good point" Ciaran said.
"I know one." Exlea said, "I met him ages ago. He was the one who first made the spell to conquer the dark wave"
Morgan opened her eyes wide. The first person to make that spell was Hunter's father Daniel. He was in Scotland at the moment trying to make new and easier versions of the same spell.
"Who is he?" Ciaran asked.
"Daniel Niall" Exlea confirmed, "He's in Scotland"
