I'm sure demons knew when I was busy. I'm sure they knew when life gets hectic and decided than to attack. I had been slammed with meetings at work and trying to get my column written the moment I was in my office alone they attacked. I wasn't sure if this was because the ultimate power was no longer hidden. People knew who we were, and those demons who wanted to impress the source of all Evil was prepared to bring us down. I grabbed up my bag and rushed out the office, "Hannah I'm working from home for the rest of the day," I told her. She nodded, "I'll see you tomorrow hopefully."
"You okay Liberty?" She asked curiously. "I've been wanting to ask for a few days after your work off the other week but" she trailed off.
"I'm fine Hannah," I lied. "Just a little frazzled. Maybe I should take up Yoga." I thought about and shook my head, "wow I need to get out of here I just thought about doing exercise." Hannah laughed, "any new letters just put them on my desk." She nodded. I walked out the building and into an alleyway I made sure nobody was there and orbed home. I dumped my bag on the sofa and groaned. My apartment looked a mess, too bad I couldn't use magic to get rid of this, that stupid personal gain rule.
"I found the book!" I heard Kelly snap coming from my bedroom.
"Good afternoon Kelly," I said.
"I found the book," she said shaking her head. "I can't believe you hid it straight in front of me."
"I can't believe it took you a week," I smiled. She walked over and slapped me round the back of the head. I sat down on the sofa and let out a big sigh.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm just tired and demons have been attacking all week and I think it has something to do with the Black Witch," I said. She frowned the moment I said her name, "I'm not imagining it before you say it. I am also not obsessed." She smiled a little, I shook my head, "I need to make more potions I've ran out of them at the office."
"Why all the demon attacks?" Kelly asked confused. "I see them attacking innocents on the street more and more, I honestly don't know why. They never used to be this open about it."
"Ultimate power," I said. "Book of Shadows." It appeared in front of me and I flicked through the pages.
"What are you looking for?"
"I just had a light bulb moment," I said. She looked at me, "my first encounter with the Black Witch, she said I look just like her." She looked at me blankly. "The ultimate power is very rarely just one person, so who was the other half of the ultimate power with the Black Witch?"
"You're thinking she had a sibling?" Kelly asked I nodded. "Would she hurt her sister?" I shrugged. "So how do we find out?"
"There's a spell in the book," I said. "A seance." She looked at me unconvinced, I walked around closing the curtains and opened up the chest in the living room, I grabbed white and purples candles and lit them, I also grabbed a white cloth. "Burn some cinnamon, frankincense and sandlewood, top shelf." I pointed at the cupboard and she grabbed them and burnt them. I grabbed her hand as she sat in front of me and she nodded. "Beloved unknown spirit, we seek your guidance, we ask that you commune with us and move among us."
This time when I chanted Kelly joined in, "Beloved unknown spirits, we seek your guidance, we ask that you commune with us and move among us. Beloved unknown spirit, we seek your guidance, we ask that you commune with us and move among us. Beloved unknown spirit, we seek your guidance-" white swirls began to appear in front of us. "We ask that you commune with us and move among us."
"Hello," the woman said. As I looked at her I couldn't but be shocked, we could have been twins we looked so similar. This is what she meant 'you look just like her'. "I do not bring the answers you seek."
"What's your name?"
"Katarina," she said. "Katarina Preston."
"But you have a different answer that we seek," I said. She nodded, "they sent you for a reason. Who is the Black Witch?"
"I do not know who you speak of," she said. "I know of a young lady, her name is Catalina Preston, she was my sister."
"Wow Catalina and Katarina, twins?"
She nodded, "the closest, you have to understand before I tell you the story, it was dark times. Our mother and father were murdered for being witches, and Catalina and I were left raising ourselves. We were alone and all we had is each other. We protected innocents and fought off demons and evil, we were loved by our friends and family. We were strong, powerful witches, in our time we defeated a great evil, the source. People bowed at our feet, it went to Catalina's head she begun to think we were better than the humans, the demons, the fairies, the trolls, the elders and whitelighters, everyone," she said. "People tried to warn me, auras tried to warn me, they could see something dark in my sister. I didn't listen. I should have."
"What changed?"
"She began to practice dark magic and it changed her soul, she was sick of sharing the ultimate power with me. She wanted it for herself. What changed is she went power mad, you should know that not one person can handle the ultimate power alone, that is why it is shared, balanced amongst siblings or different witches. Do you know how to steal a witches power?"
"No," Kelly said.
"You stab them with an atheme and you can absorb their power, and that's what my own blood sister did to me," Katarina explained shaking her head. "I love my sister and she was interested in power." She shook her head sadly. "The woman who killed me was not my sister."
"So you don't know how to vanquish her?"
"No," she said. "I do know it relies in your bond more so than your powers, Liberty she'll attack you first because you remind her of me. Although she has my power she lost the bond between us, her soul is dark and black. I love my sister but I do not like her."
"You're not going to tell us how to defeat her are you?" Kelly asked.
"Love your sister Kelly, treasure her, and listen to her ideas," Katarina said. "She's obsessive yes, but that obsessiveness is going to give you the clue you need." She turned to look at me, "Liberty, treasure your sister, and listen to her. As important as the Black Witch is, ordinary demons are important, protecting the innocent. The moment you became a witch you took an oath to protect the innocent."
"Thank you Katarina I hope you are having a better afterlife than life," I said.
"Blessed be my sisters, be good to each other." She faded away and I looked at Kelly, she took my hand and I squeezed hers as she squeezed mine. It was like we both had the same idea. I slid back leaning against the sofa and sighed.
"She killed her sister," Kelly mumbled. "What kind of person kills their sister that they love?"
"I don't know," I whispered. "But at least now we can make a plan." She looked at me, "I'm her weakness without her even realising."
I stood up and opened all the curtains, "clean up that stuff I'm going to make a batch of potions for the office and we're going to brainstorm whilst we do it."
"Shouldn't I be bossing you around?" She asked raising an eyebrow. I shook my head, "and why not?"
"You might be older, I've been a witch longer," I said smugly.
"Details."
"Important," I said. I walked over to the cooker and grabbed a big pan and grabbed the ingredients I needed to make my strongest potion. Kelly came over and sat at the breakfast bar and overlooked the pan of water. "What was it like keeping that secret from me?"
"Hard, but you were kind of wrapped up in your Clark drama and drug drama to even notice any strange things happening around the house," she said. "Maybe that's why we didn't notice that you had been hurt and raped."
"Don't," I said shaking my head. "I don't like talking about it." I sniffle and looked at her, "it's too hard. I blame myself." She looked at me shocked. "Come on Kelly, I was drugged up I took the coke. I was vulnerable enough that he could shoot me up with heroin and do that."
"Don't do that to yourself Liberty, I never want you to think that," Kelly said shaking her head. "No matter how drugged or fucked up you were doesn't give anyone the permission to pimp you out. So no more negativity for that business."
"Thanks Kel," I whispered.
"I'm glad Clark managed to help you, how did you react when he revealed his identity?"
"I was shocked and then when he told me his story it just, I couldn't understand why he choose me and I think in that moment I fell in love with him not for him being superman but for the man underneath. Not Clark the persona he created here but Kal-El, I mean I love all the parts of him but he doesn't show that part often so when he does it's magical," I said. "I know one thing is for sure, I want a future with Clark, I don't know what kind of future but I want one."
"Do you like making potions?"
"I do," I chuckled. "To know just with one potion I can save an innocent, also sometimes our powers do fail." I looked at her and smiled. "I'm glad we can do this. Talk I mean."
"I guess Katarina said some true things," Kelly admitted. "We don't value our relationship with each other." I shook my head, "maybe it's time we started spending time together instead of just fighting. Whilst we are doing honest hour, I have something to admit." I looked at her. "I didn't join the army to fight the great fight, I mean I did but that wasn't my reason. I had gotten rid of the Black Witch, so I thought, you were getting powers soon and I know if I saw you using magic and me being around it, I would put you in danger and want my magic back, so the day you got it I made you bind my powers. I tried to protest you."
"You are the big sister after all," I smiled. "I love you Kelly."
"I love you too Libs."
