The Lightning Witch Read online

  The Lightning Witch

  Book 2 of the Elements Series

  Natalie Goertzen

  Copyright c 2017 Natalie Goertzen

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 154727784X

  ISBN 13: 9781547277841

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  I awoke with pain. Nothing had changed inside of me. Things had definitely worsened. I thought morosely about the last few days.

  I had checked myself into a place called Shadow Hills, as suggested by my neurologist, Dr. Flam, all those months ago when my migraine attacks had first begun and when Lou had first entered my life. At the time, I had been appalled at Dr. Flam’s suggestion to leave my family and put my brain in the hands of strangers who might or might not insert remote controls in my body or even cut away sections of said brain. I had thought I had so many options then without resorting to surgery or institutions that filled their rooms with drug-addled patients, making them victims of the patients’ own minds. I truly believed I could fix my problems alone instead.

  How naive I had been.

  I needed help. I needed professional help.

  I had left everything and everyone I ever knew to come here, to a place of healing for people such as myself. I was taking a huge chance by coming here, leaving us all a bit more vulnerable against Lou and the chaos he threw our lives into. I had to have faith that we could all stay strong and that this risk I was taking, though for all the right reasons, would give us the upper hand in defeating him. I would save Jasper by any means necessary. If that meant suffocating all the remnants of magic out of me…I would. What magic I had left from Lou’s thievery, I had no idea. In any case, I came here for healing and to be strong again.

  So why was I surprised this place wasn’t all it was cracked up to be?

  It was a vast institution deep in the hills, through a dense forest, totally cut off from the rest of the world. It jutted out from the earth like a fortress, ancient in architecture. It looked cold and oppressive from the outside, all crumbling stone and climbing ivy that made it look as if the place were abandoned. I had noticed the windows were barred, but I’d been assured by the guide who had eagerly met me off the train two hours before that it was an isolated structure to promote healing without worldly distractions.

  My guide was a small spit of a man, round and short, hobbling when he walked, named Mr. Peevly. His widow’s peak was an inch away from being a complete bald Mohawk, the sides grown out and frizzy with the odd wiry strand shooting at some strange angle. He had a pointy nose that didn’t seem suitable for his squishy face and a moustache that trailed and got lost somewhere in his fuzzy beard. He was comical and quick, putting me at ease quickly. He waddled around, heaving my suitcase into the trunk of his clown car before opening the back door for me to slip inside.

  The ride to the hospital was long and arduous. I dozed off for a spell listening to Mr. Peevly prattling on from behind the steering wheel, and when I woke, I could see the building that must have at one time been a place of grandeur. The place was a stronghold if I’d ever seen any, an impending mansion that leered heavily over its landscape. The weather was grey, and clouds were rushing in and encircling its height. I could smell rain in the air from the open window of the car, but nothing had fallen yet.

  Behind me, down the road, I could see the sun slowly disappearing behind this sudden fog. It was almost like this place had its own weather system.

  Mr. Peevly chattered away incessantly from the driver’s seat, bobbing up and down in his seat with the ruts in the road, his voice vibrating and high pitched at times. He told me as much as he could about himself on the drive. He had a wife he called Missus P, who baked the most excellent hot-milk cake I could ever imagine. He had a cat named Juby that was his prized pet. And he enjoyed checkers and bird watching. I let him prattle on because it was distracting me from my nerves, which were beginning to go on edge as I wondered what would happen to me once I stepped inside Shadow Hills. Plus he was so cute in his lolloping geekiness.

  I had to smile.

  When he parked the car, Mr. Peevly slowly got out after a moment of staring at the place with what seemed like a wary eye. He came around and laid a shaky hand on the handle and then let me out of the car. I stepped out, in awe of the size of the place. Black birds circled ominously and loomed through the grey skies above the building. Their caws seemed forever away, shrill and reaching. Mr. Peevly stepped beside me, my suitcase in one of his hands. He stared up at the towering fortress of Shadow Hills.

  He took my arm with his free hand and led me to the front steps. “Now just be a good girl, and do as Lady Veronica says,” he stuttered. “You should be fine.” He seemed uncertain of his remark.

  Lady Veronica?

  I watched him with growing anxiety. I hoped he would stay with me through the admission.

  But he only brought me to the front door. He dropped my suitcase on the step next to me. He grabbed the rusted metal handle of the knock and heaved on it. The ring was held in the mouth of a vicious-looking stone gargoyle that dared you to touch it with intruding eyes.

  Mr. Peevly knocked but once. We could hear the echo of it repeat several times, the sound getting farther away each time, as if the interior was hollow and sucking each sound into its core. I looked at him for reassurance. This time I noticed what looked like fear on his face as his eyes darted around, his ears perking to listen. Thunder was rolling in the far-off distance.

  I opened my mouth to ask him what was wrong, but we suddenly heard footsteps echoing, the sound drawing closer as whoever was inside was obviously coming to our call. My guide grabbed my hand and shook it fiercely.

  “W-well, good luck to you then, lady! I must be off! Missus P will be worrying something awful! Good-bye!”

  Before I could say anything, he was gone, back in his car and peeling down the driveway.

  “Mr. Peevly?” I called after him. He only sped up faster.

  I was on my own.

  The heavy door creaked open. A long shadow stretched out with the opening door and seemed to swallow me in its wake. I felt so small all of a sudden. I squinted, as my eyes were no match for the dust and darkness.As my eyes adjusted, I found a woman standing there, looking down at me as if I were a bug she had come across and pondering if she should risk getting her
shoe dirty by squashing me. Her whole face seemed to point at something wrong, her greying hair pulled back too tight, her high-collared black gown that seemed suffocating keeping her head held high and posture straight. Swaying lightly at her hip was a chain of assorted keys hanging from her belt. She actually looked as if she didn’t breathe; nor did it seem she needed to. She said nothing but just stood stock-still like a statue, her hands folded in front of her, staring down at me. Surely she was standing on a pedestal; I felt like she was a tower.

  This must be the Lady Veronica that Mr. Peevly had mentioned.

  I gulped as she pursed her lips, waiting for me to say something.

  “How do you do? I am Nicole Weston?” I don’t know why I stated my name in the form of a question. I was shaking, and my voice was wavering. She still stared at me as if I were making absolutely no sense.

  “I—uh, I’m checking in,” I murmured. I felt embarrassed now. I went to turn. Maybe this had been a bad idea. As soon as the thought entered my head, one of her arms reached out and grabbed my shoulder, her long fingers splaying down my back, pulling me inside. Before I knew it, the heavy door had shut behind me. I was inside.

  I looked around. Everything was dim, dark corners everywhere leading to an even darker hall that seemed to only end in purgatory. Dusty and musty was the air, as if a fresh breeze hadn’t swept through in ages. There were heavy tapestries of religious content on the walls: The Snake Tempting Eve, The Crucifixion, The Last Supper.

  There seemed to be a foreboding theme here.

  “I am Lady Veronica. I am the warden, the dean of this institution, the keeper of Shadow Hills.” Her voice was deep and commanding, but it didn’t echo. She turned and grabbed a clipboard off of a heavy-looking credenza and began walking deeper into the fortress. I followed. “I trust you have brought payment,” she quipped over her shoulder.

  “Oh, yes.” I was nervous and fumbling in my coat pockets until I produced a check for a tidy sum, I must say, as quoted by my neurologist Dr. Flam.

  Lady Veronica’s eyes lit up, and she snatched the slip from my hand and made it disappear into the folds of her dress. She nodded, seeming to be pleased at this, and kept walking. “Leave your suitcase here. It will be brought to you later.”

  I placed my suitcase down as told, and we climbed a heavy staircase that trembled slightly with each step—or perhaps I imagined it. The walls were lined with portraits now of somber faces that seemed ancient in production. Their eyes followed me as I ascended. I felt a chilling breeze, and I rubbed my arms. Lady Veronica held perfect poise as she explained the various rules. I only half listened as I looked down over the railing into what seemed like a black abyss, the first floor now swallowed into the darkness.

  “You will be present at all therapy sessions, and you will participate.” She also had perfect annunciation, each syllable and letter holding its own meaning and striking a chord as it came out of her mouth. “Breakfast is served promptly at six o’clock in the morning and dinner the same hour in the evening. Visitors are not allowed, as we have found that they prohibit healing and limit our patients’ recoveries significantly. We also prohibit any outdoor activity, as we must limit any pathogens and allergens that spread diseases like wildfire inside the institution.”

  That one definitely got to me. I wasn’t worried about visitors; I had already told the family to not come for visits. I wanted them all to take care of themselves and prepare for what Lou may do next, so that meant I was here on my own for the duration of my healing. But no outdoor time at all? That was madness to me. I needed to try to work with my element, to call her back to me. I could not do this cooped up for days on end. It may even make matters worse.

  “Wait, we aren’t allowed outside?” I gasped. I was dumbfounded. A deep-seated fear began to form in the pit of myself. I could not be cut off from my element, even if Earth was no longer responding to me. I had to keep trying to reach her.

  Lady Veronica stopped and spun around to me, the clipboard tight to her bosom. “No, that is totally out of the question. We have had people—patients—get very sick from an illness brought in from the outside world. It was almost a complete annihilation of patients and staff.” She lifted a long finger and moved a stray hair from her eye that had escaped the tight bun and plucked it out fast. She continued. “Since then, we have had to make sacrifices and precautions in order to have sufficient safety for all.”

  I guessed she was satisfied with her answer, even if I wasn’t. What was she talking about? A plague?

  We continued up the stairs. We finally reached the top, and I felt woozy and swayed slightly. She stared at me again as if I were a bug meant to be squished.

  “Here at Shadow Hills, we pride ourselves on one hundred percent recovery of our patients. It all may seem morose and overboard, but our tactics work.” She laughed quietly to herself as one long fingernail scratched at her ear. “Most never want to leave, as a matter of fact.” I was wide eyed. I looked around again at the dark and dated hall. Really?

  “There will be absolutely no indecent relationships with other patients or staff. We will be doing our best to completely heal what ails you.” She continued down the hallway. I kept looking behind me, sure I was hearing faint sounds from a distance, something shrill and otherworldly. I followed in step. We arrived at a door. It was metal and had scratchy red numbers that read 333.

  “I will need you to sign this form, which clearly states that you are now in the care of Shadow Hills and all of her employees. You will be released in a timely manner when your condition has guaranteed you are sane and of no harm to yourself or anyone else.” She held a clipboard out with a pen dripping with ink. Her eyes stared at me, unblinking.

  I took the clipboard and leaking pen and stared at the form. The words seemed to blend in together and blur at the edges. Something inside me, deep and hard to hear, screamed at me. I ignored it. I had to get help. I couldn’t be afraid. I blinked and looked back at her.

  “I honestly don’t think I’m a threat to anyone or myself, ma’am…”

  “Really, Nicole? The storm in the park? The repeated visits to the emergency room for a gouged hand and whatever else infected you?” She glanced at my abdomen as she said the latter. I was in complete disbelief that she knew these things. I hadn’t told anyone outside of the family. How did she know? Perhaps she was a seer like Reg.

  She grabbed my hand and looked at my palm. The evidence of my scar was clear as day in her cold hand. She eyed me and let my hand go. “You are not the most dangerous person in the world these days, but your potential is great, especially with certain…shall we say…talents.”

  “Yes, but if you knew the whole story—” I pleaded.

  “Nicole, Nicole…” She tsked and sighed dramatically as she cut me off. “I would love to hear the entire story, but I’m afraid you will need to become a patient of Shadow Hills before that can happen.” Her eyes stared down at me, wide and unblinking.

  I looked back at the form, afraid and unsure. Something was still eating at me. I wondered if it was remnants of the evil Lou had left inside of me, crying for me to leave just so it could devour me again.

  “Nicole, is this what you want? To stay here and get well, to lead a normal life? Or are we both wasting our time?” She placed her hand on the knob and held it there for a beat, waiting for my answer. I nodded when my head wanted to shake.

  I signed my name, Nicole Weston, on the dotted line and handed her the paper.

  Thunder boomed and cracked overhead. Sounds of running water began behind the walls. A drip fell from the ceiling between us. Lady Veronica laughed. She continued her rant. “This place gets older by the day, but make no mistake, her bones are strong.” Her laugh was very classy and reminded me of chandeliers tinkling lightly when they were dusted. “And lastly, do as you are told, as we are only acting with your safety in mind.”

  The door creaked open, crying like the ghost of the tree that had fallen to create it. She gently pushe
d me inside.

  I turned and said, “Actually, I have a few questions…” The door closed, and I heard a click in the lock before I even realized what had happened. I tried the knob. Yup, it was locked. Great.

  Chapter Two

  She left me in a small room with a tiny bed that seemed too short even for my height, which was not too many inches over five feet. The walls were cracked and stained as water trickled through, finding its way from some unseen source. I sighed and sat on the wiry bed. It creaked under my weight with a whine. I listened to the rain, as the windows were too dirty to see out of. I heard the storm toil and tumble in its formation. Rain came down hard, washing away what was meant to be cleansed.

  I could hear a soft mumbling, like a young child’s voice. I couldn’t make out the words. I got up, tracing my hands on the wall, trying to find the sound.

  Suddenly the heavy door croaked open, and in its mouth were two orderlies. Muscular men with frowning faces, arms crossed and legs spread to take up as much standing space with their body mass as they could. I looked at them expectantly.

  They said nothing but came over and hoisted me up with one of my arms in each of theirs. They seemed used to dragging people around, but my feet quickly stepped in league with theirs.

  “Where are you taking me?” I looked up to each one, noticed their name tags. One said Jones and the other said Simon.

  “Simon says you’d better tell me right now.” I tried to make a joke to lighten this situation, but Simon stared straight ahead, wearing a permanent scowl. Jones looked down at me, however, and smiled lightly.

  “Best piece of advice here, Nicole, is to do what you are told; nothing more, nothing less.”

  I was speechless. I knew I had never met Jones before. “How did you know my name?”

  He opened his mouth to say more, but his eyes were caught by the daring stare of Simon and must’ve thought better of it. Of course he knew my name, I thought. I am a patient here now.

  We sharply turned a corner and arrived at a double door. Simon grabbed the handle and hauled it open.