Chapter 6: Captured

I was in a small room. There was no light and only one door that I knew was locked, bolted and spelled shut. Goddess, where was I? There was this strange smell in the air. I sniffed and smelt…oh no! I smelt smoke. Smoke meant…fire! Flames began to lick hungrily at the door, greedy and determined to get in. Uncle Ciaran had put me here; put me here to die.

I had to get out! But how?

I woke up, back in the old cemetery. Goddess, it was just a dream. But deep down I knew that it wasn't just any dream. It was a vision of the future. My future!

"You're quite right."

Oh, hell. I'd been dreading this! I screwed up my eyes, trying to blot out the image of the man who was stood behind me: Ciaran MacEwan. My Uncle…unfortunately.

"A bith dearc," He said, sounding amazed. "My dear child, when did you learn how to open one of them?!"

"I needed to speak to my mother," I said with my fists clenched. I wanted to punch him, throw witch fire at him and basically kill him. He was evil beyond evil, but he was also my family; my mother's brother.

He nodded sadly. "Annabel was a shining star, just like you could've been." His smile was almost wolf-like.

"I am a shining star!" I yelled. "Mum even said so! I'm a good powerful witch and you will NEVER be able to change that!"

"Not even to save the ones you love?" Ciaran nodded in the direction of the memorial monument. I followed his gaze to see Morgan, Hunter, Killian – his own son who I had instantly bonded with in Scotland – struggling to get out of Ciaran's binding spell.

"LET THEM GO!" I roared and snapped out my arm. A ball of white witch fire sped towards Ciaran, but he deflected it just in time. As he did so, Morgan gasped in pain and I noticed a small pool of blood spreading across her green T-shirt. The more I tried to hurt him, the more he hurt my loved one.

"Please stop!" I begged, sounding weak and needy. No, I thought. I need to be strong. I can beat him. I have thousands of generations of pure Woodbane blood flowing through my veins. I have the power to destroy him!

"Oh, please, Ariah," Ciaran said wearily. "Surely you don't think you can beat me. We all know that I'm a lot stronger than you, even with all your power."

Ciaran then pointed his wand at Hunter and muttered a spell. A wrath of dark mist was surrounding him, choking him.

"NO"! I screamed. Goddess, save me! Then I realized that if I did go with him, I'd save my friends and family. So why not?

"You have chosen well." UNCLE Ciaran smiled. "Come." He undid the binding spell, took hold of my hand and teleported us (something that I hadn't quite got the hang of doing) back to Scotland.