69: Which Witch is which? – Pt. 4

Victoria sat on the sofa across from Derrick and herself, nervously tapping her foot as they waited for Brad to join them. Mike paced the room. His nerves hadn’t settled having met his partner’s twin. “So…Victoria,” Victoria started, glancing over at her other half. “How much of what happened do you remember? Because I’ve been trying and I gotta say…” 

“Look, I don’t know what this is or even if it’s real. That…thing back at the docks—it had glowing eyes. There is no way that’s possible, right?” 

“It’s par for the course with most demons,” Mike offered, not skipping a beat in his pattern around the fireplace. 

“Demon? As in pits of hell, soulless monsters with a bloodlust?” Victoria laughed, startling the other three occupants of the room before nervously chewing on her bottom lip. “I’ve always known you were superstitious, Mike, but even that’s a stretch for you.” 

“I’ve got it!” Brad Devereux shouted as he entered the room. He was holding a book bound in thick, gnarled leather with yellowing pages and strange diagrams. “I think I know what happened to our—Victorias. Somehow, her psyche split during the trance. It could have happened when I called for her or it could have been the jolt from being awakened without proper magic.” 

“You mean she and I are the same person and she’s not some magical replica?” Victoria asked to which Brad nodded. “How? She and I don’t share the same memories.” 

“Ah, but you do. This Victoria,” he said motioning to the one across from her, “Knows everything up to a certain point while you have all of your present memories intact. Which means…” 

“Whatever memory Victoria’s mind was on at the time you did the locator spell is where the other Victoria was pulled,” Derrick completed the thought. 

“Precisely!” 

“Ok, that still doesn’t explain why she was…ripped from my head in the first place,” Victoria said. 

“Excuse me, hi, can you people stop talking about me like I’m not sitting three feet away? I’m not someone’s memory. I’m an actual living, breathing, person. All this talk about demons and spells and whatever is absurd. You’re all crazy if you think magic is real.” 

“It is real,” Mike said, slowing his pace as he circled around the couch to sit beside his confused partner. “Vik, you’re a witch and you have magic.” 

“Alright, you know what? I’m done. I am going someplace where people know the difference between reality and make believe which is obviously not here!” Victoria hopped up and Brad quickly shut the door.  

“I’m afraid I cannot let you leave.” 

“You’re really gonna try this?” she asked and glanced back toward Mike. “I will arrest you for false imprisonment if you don’t get out of my way right now.” 

“Good luck with that,” Victoria said, also standing and taking a step forward. “I’m not—we’re not cops anymore.” 

“What? Now I KNOW you’re messing with me. Being a cop is all I’ve ever been—all I’ve ever wanted.” She touched her head as a tiny ache started behind her eyes.  

“Are you alright, my dear?” Brad reached out to touch her and as he did, Victoria threw him back against the wall with the flick of her wrist.  

“BRAD!” Victoria shouted and rushed forward to check on him. 

“I—I didn’t mean…it was an accident.” Without another word, Victoria shot through the door and out to the street.  

“Derrick, stop her!” Victoria shouted as she helped Brad to his feet. 

Rushing after her, Derrick headed down the sidewalk, shouting for the frightened woman to stop. He caught up as she attempted to hail a taxi but, before he could utter a word to get her to stop, Victoria again threw her hands up, tossing Derrick back into a large tree. A small branch pierced through his chest and Victoria gasped as she watched the front of his shirt turn red with blood.

Hopping into the taxi, she gave the driver instructions and he watched as the car’s taillights disappeared from sight. Derrick groaned as he tried to dislodge himself from the branch. Hurried footsteps pulled his attention to the sidewalk and he saw Mike and Victoria appear from around the corner. “NO!” Victoria shouted as she raced toward him. “Help me, Mike,” she cried and pushed at the tree while her partner pulled the vampire down. “Please, Derrick, not this again. Don’t die.”  

“I’m fine,” he groaned, rolling to the side to spit out a mouthful of blood. “It missed my heart by a degree.”

“Jesus! That’s too close,” Victoria replied, placing her hand over his heart. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok. Baby, I’m fine, I promise,” he moaned and sat upright. “That’s a little more than I can say for your other half.”

“Where is she?” Mike asked, taking a look around.

“She jumped into a cab. I have no idea where she went.”

“Home.” Victoria said.

“Well, we need to get there and find her soon. She’s alone with no idea about her powers and based on the wallop she packs; I don’t see things ending well.”

Victoria walked up the front stoop to her door and a familiar figure moved around the garage, heading toward her. “Cole?” she smiled and ran forward.

“Hey, Vik, I was…” his words were cut short as her lips came crashing into his. Without a second thought, Cole fitted his mouth to hers and moaned against her lips, pulling her deeper against his chest as her hands slid up his neck and into his hair. Taking long, passionate kisses, he greedily drew in the honeysuckle taste of her, making her head swim as his tongue slipped into her mouth and he felt the soft return of hers. Victoria welcomed the exploration of his tongue as he deepened the kiss.

Cole savored and consumed her with a kiss more aggressive than any he’d given her before. Victoria could feel the bulge in his pants as she pressed herself closer and held him tighter, hoping her bad dream would soon come to an end. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Cole sighed, pushing her away and watching as her eyelids hung low with desire. “What’s going on with you, Vik?” 

“Nothing is going on, Cole. I’m just happy to see you. I’ve been having a very weird and fucked up day and now I just want to go inside and fall into bed with you. Is that too much to ask for?”

“Yeah, but I mean what about Derrick?”

“What? How do you know about—it just happened. Cole, it was an accident. I didn’t mean…” She grew quiet and shook her head. “There’s no way you know.”

“Vik, what are you talking about?” He slipped his hand around her waist and pulled her into him. “Talk to me. I can’t help unless I know what’s going on.”

“I killed him. He was chasing me and I was scared and I somehow threw him and he landed…there was so much blood, Cole. He’s dead. I killed him but, I don’t know how.”

“Wait a minute, killed who? Who’s dead?”

“Derrick!” Cole felt his breath seize in his chest and he held Victoria as she continued sobbing, recounting the details for him. “I need to call the police.”

“The police? What? Why would you do that?”

“Because he’s dead, Cole! They need to know what I’ve done.”

“Vik, I doubt the police would be equipped to handle…I mean what normally happens to—you know when they are killed?”

“What?”

“You know—vampires.”

“Cole, what are you talking about? You’re starting to sound like them.”

“Them?”

“Please, don’t tell me they got to you too.”

“Got to me? Who got what? Vik…”

“Stay away from me,” she shouted and rushed for her door. As she opened it, Hades charged her, his big slobbering tongue jutting from the corner of his mouth and she jumped back screaming, slamming the door shut. “I don’t understand. I don’t know what’s going on. Cole, please help me.”

“It’s ok, Vik. You’re ok. Come on, I’ll take you back to my place,” he said, wrapping her against him and leading her toward his car.

“She’s not here,” Mike said, descending the stairs.

“No,” Derrick replied, pulling on a jacket after having changed his shirt. “But someone else was.”

“Is that good or bad?” Victoria asked, watching Derrick follow a path around the back of the house.

“I don’t know,” Derrick sighed. “Call Cole.”

“Cole?” Derrick nodded and Victoria did as told. The phone rang three times before the federal agent finally answered. “Cole, hey, it’s…”

“Victoria?”

“Yeah, it’s me and I have sort of a weird question to ask. Um…have you seen me today?”

 “Yes, you’re asleep in my bed right now. How are you calling me…holy shit, Vik? Please tell me I didn’t just invite another vampire into my house. Geez, these fucking things need to start wearing signs.”

“No, Cole, she’s not a vampire, she’s me.”

“Wait, what?”

“It was a spell or something, I don’t know but, it went wrong and now I’m kinda two people.”

“Oh yeah, sure. Hate when that happens.”

“Right?” Victoria laughed. “Listen, I need you to keep her…me safe. We’ll be right over.”

They made the twenty-minute drive in just under ten but, upon entering Cole’s apartment received news they weren’t expecting. “How long ago?” Derrick asked, hearing that Victoria had again evaded them.

“I don’t know. I was talking to Vik and I think she heard me and while my back was turned, she took off. What the hell is going on?”

“The Victoria that was here was from a past…well she is a past Victoria. She has no knowledge of magic or vampires or even that she and I are together which explains why she turned to you. We need to find her before…” Derrick was stopped midsentence as a bloodcurdling scream erupted from beside him.

Victoria fell back against the wall as a large gash was carved into her arm. “I think we’re too late,” she said, looking at the nasty mark on her forearm. “She’s in danger.”

“And from the looks of that wound, whatever did that isn’t human,” Derrick said. Victoria again screamed as a matching cut was sliced into her other arm.

Victoria tried to heal herself, but the injuries remained. “We need to find her…now!”

“Is there like a locator spell you can try?” Mike asked.

Victoria closed her eyes and concentrated. Her mind was numb and every time she attempted a spell, her hands sparked and fizzled. “My magic, I can’t cast anything,” she said in shock as she tried to summon the simplest of spells. “How is that possible? My other self was able to use her powers but, I can’t?”

“The split,” Derrick started. “She must have received the magic when it happened.”

“Wait, you’re saying a witch, who has no idea she’s a witch, has all of Victoria’s powers and a healthy dose of paranoia and anger and is out on the street somewhere alone with no idea how to use any of it?” Cole replied, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck. “Shit. Talk about a loose cannon.”

“You’re right,” Victoria said, taking a deep breath as a third wound appeared on her stomach. “All except the alone part. Something’s got her and that something is trying to kill her. I don’t think I have to say what happens if they succeed?”

“So, what are we going to do?” Mike asked.

“The only thing we can do. Get another witch to find her,” Victoria answered.

“Do you really think she’d be willing to help?” he again inquired. “Even when she wanted to have that heart-to-heart, she was not being forthcoming.”

“No, but I wasn’t talking about my mom. It’s time we go see Nana.”

Piling into Cole’s SUV, the group made the trip to Danbury Ridge. Loretta was waiting on her front porch as the truck pulled into her driveway. She waved at her granddaughter but, Victoria was not in the mood for pleasantries.

Still, Loretta made it clear she did not want to speak in the presence of strangers. And after brief introductions of Mike and Cole, the group took seats in the living room as Loretta and Victoria headed to her magic room to work on a summoning spell. “Is it done?” Mike asked, seeing the two women descend the staircase.

“Yes and no, and that’s what I wanted to talk to everyone about. Victoria’s told me that her other half may be in serious danger. We don’t know where she is or what type of creature is holding her captive. When the spell is completed, we will all be teleported to wherever she is. As you’ve probably come to learn from my oversharing grandchild, there are a multitude of different types of supernatural beings, each with their own unique abilities. I want you to all know that before you agree to come with us. We may be placed in an extremely dangerous situation.”

“I don’t care what it is,” Mike said standing. “Victoria’s my partner and I’ve already made the oath to protect her with my life. I’m in. No matter where it takes me.”

“What Mike said. Besides, I never leave the house without my sidearm and spare,” Cole added as he too stood and patted his hip holster. “Most creatures can be shot, right?” Victoria nodded and he grinned.

“You already know where I stand,” Derrick said, taking Victoria’s hand as he met her eyes. “Let’s do this.”

Loretta led them to her magic room and had everyone hold hands. She closed her eyes as she began to chant. Colorful lights and sparkles danced around her as an orb began to grow from between her hands. The longer she chanted, the larger it grew until it consumed the room, shading everything in a purple hue. The room shook and Mike and Cole looked around nervously as the scene shifted and they were transported to a storehouse at the same wharf from before.

Victoria was chained to a wall while a werewolf stood guard. There was a satyr posted at the door and still three more near the windows and back entrance. The smell of rot hung thick and Cole retched once before he got his gag reflex in check. There were puddles of sulfur throughout the building which indicated these beings were from the underworld. It also made both Mike and Derrick alert to the fact their target may also be on scene.

“I don’t understand. How did this guy get all of these different supernatural creatures to work together?” Loretta asked, looking toward at least four different types who were all known enemies of one another.

“Let’s worry about that later, right now the important thing is to free Victoria’s other half,” Derrick replied.

“How do you want to handle this?” Victoria asked, feeling vulnerable to attack without her magic.

“I’ll get to your other half,” Derrick said. “Mike and Cole will keep me covered. Wendigo and satyr are part human so the bullets will do damage, maybe even kill them. Same with demons; aim for vitals. I’ll handle the wolves. They’re a bit trickier. Victoria, you stay here. With your powers gone, I don’t want to put you anymore in harm’s way.”

“Magic or not I am trained to use a firearm,” Victoria said. “I can help.”  

“You’re already hurt and anything could happen. I don’t want to risk it. Not this time. Please, for once just listen to me. Hang back. Let us handle this.” Victoria sighed, but didn’t argue. Cole and Mike readied their weapons and moved to opposite ends of the wall beside them, watching for movement. Sensing her apprehension, Loretta stood next to Victoria, prepared to handle anything that came their way.

Derrick crept forward, catching the first guard unaware. He snapped the Troll’s neck and let its body slip to the ground. Victoria saw him then. Her eyes widened in relief and she shouted for him to help her but, the sound caused the other demons to take notice and instantly the fiends descended upon the group’s location.

Cole fired at the demon rushing toward him. The bullet glanced off its shoulder, however, the second hit the creature center mass. It fell, landing in a large green puddle and Cole turned his attention to the others. Mike had also taken one out of commission. The demon made a splatter against the back wall but, its friends were steadily closing in.

“We need to think of something fast. There’s a ton of them and only two of us,” Cole shouted over his shoulder to Mike. Suddenly, a bright beam of light zoomed overhead and the approaching demons were all thrown back in a flash of fire.

Cole looked back toward the source and saw the embers flicker and fizzle in Loretta’s hands. “Wow. That was incredible.”

“Head’s up,” Mike said, “We’re not done yet.”

Derrick rushed forward, landing on a stack of pallets just in front of Victoria. As he moved toward her, a high-pitched screeching sound stopped him dead in his tracks and he covered his ears as he tried to stay on his feet. Falling to his knees, Derrick clenched his head in pain as blood trickled out of both ears.

Doubled over in pain as the spirit moved closer, it hovered above him as it continued its death wail. The longer it howled the more the banshee corporealized. Once her body was fully physical, a single shot rang out and a line of blood crawled down the wound in her forehead.

Looking over his shoulder, Derrick found Victoria standing near the entrance with her gun aimed toward them. He nodded then returned his attention to her other self. “Let’s get you out of here.”

“Please!” she agreed, holding her head up to look at him. The duo rushed toward the others.

Cole and Mike provided cover as Loretta began conjuring. A dark figured jumped between them, separating the Victorias from the group. Derrick moved in front of Loretta, his eyes bearing down on the cloaked man. “Cassatt?”

“Wait, Derrick, you know him?” Victoria asked.

“Yeah. He’s an Elder Vampire.”

“You mean like Julian and Emery?”

“Yeah. In fact, he used to work with them. The three of them were tasked with guarding the Destroyer’s location. Rumor has it you died; killed during a raid by the Cult of the Damned.”

“You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.”

“Wait a second,” Victoria said, taking a step back as the man turned to address her. “You’re him, aren’t you? The person that’s been scooping up supes and murdering them?”

“Charles Cassatt, at your service,” he said, bowing elegantly before beaming at her with his razor-sharp teeth and yellow eyes. “I have been waiting for you, my Dear. You, Victoria, are to be my crowning achievement.”

“Yeah? Well sorry to disappoint but, I’m not interested.”

“It wasn’t a request.” Cassatt reached out for Victoria but before his hand connected with her, he was thrown back and away against the wall.

“Quickly now,” Loretta instructed. The Victorias hurried toward the rest of the group and the senior witch resumed her chanting.

“Mmm, you pack quite the punch, witch,” Cassatt said, getting to his feet. “Now, please, allow me to show you what I can do.”

The room became darker as his head fell back. Large crates swirled in a gust around them and the earth rumbled beneath them. “You have magic?” Derrick asked in surprise.

“You don’t spend your days hunting your own kind without siphoning a bit of their powers for yourself,” Cassatt answered before tossing the floating items toward the group.

They all scattered, again interrupting Loretta’s spellcasting. And as they tried to regain their bearings, Cassatt took the opportunity to approach Victoria once more. However, Derrick was right on him, tossing the man to the ground. “Over my dead body.”

“Finally, terms we agree upon,” Cassatt sneered.

“Do your worst,” Derrick said as he prepared himself for the attack. “If you’re lucky, you might slip unconscious for the last 5 minutes.”

Before Cassatt could charge for Derrick, a brilliant light filtered through the room as Loretta’s spell completed and the group was safely transported back to her home.

“Why the hell did you do that?” Derrick asked.

“Because none of us are prepared for that man. He has powers we don’t know about and we can’t expect to defeat him by bashing our heads against a wall. Besides, we have enough problems to deal with already,” Loretta said, glancing at her duo granddaughters. “And first thing’s first.”

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