Free Tales of Aradia The Last Witch Volume by L.A. Jones Page B

the woods would be like following Superman
up into space. It just wasn’t going to happen. She found them, just
as twilight had definitively shifted into early night, in front of
the sacred structure turned crypt.
    “Aradia!” her mom cried upon her daughter’s sudden
return.
    “We need to leave!” Aradia whispered. “Now!”
    It took no more urging than that. Aradia did note,
with some relief, that her mother was holding the chronicle, the
record of her people.
    Again she ran, more slowly this time so that her
parents might keep up. She appreciated the fact that both of them
kept themselves in sound physical condition; it made running from
murderous vampires much easier.
    Even as they ran, Aradia extended her senses out into
the woods and the dead village. She felt all sorts of life: birds,
porcupines, trees, grass, mosquitoes. And peppered amongst those
living things she felt death. This was not the kind of death she’d
felt in the temple; this was different, and it was coming.
    “Mom, Dad,” she pleaded, “run faster!”
    Soon they were back at the stone wall where they’d
started their adventure. I hope this works both ways, she
thought as she reached out and swiped her hand against the stone,
as she’d done before.
    And as before, the wall shimmered and melted. The
transition seemed to be an inexorably slow one. Finally it took on
the consistency of thick, thick mist, and she knew it was safe. She
pushed her parents through, then followed behind them.
    Immediately they were back in that dark, dank cave.
Though Aradia was too preoccupied to notice, the sun was in the
same place in the sky in which the Prestons had left it; though
they’d experienced hours, seemingly no time had passed.
    Behind them, the cave wall still shimmered.
    “No,” Aradia breathed, but the fog did not solidify.
Her senses still extended through the void, and she could feel the
danger approaching. They were vampires, she was sure of it, and she
suspected they were not the friendly kind.
    “What is it, honey?” Ross asked.
    “They’ll come through,” Aradia replied, “if this
portal doesn’t close.”
    Not sure what she was doing, operating on instinct,
she held up her right hand. “Close,” she said, scrunching her nose
and focusing hard. “Close,” she repeated, squinting shut her eyes.
“Close!” she screamed.
    Still, the portal remained open.
    She held her breath and focused. Suddenly a powerful
chill overcame Ross and Liza. A low, dense fog rolled into the
cave, coming up to their knees. Frost formed, stretching delicate
spider webs of ice across the cave walls.
    Once more, Aradia screamed, and her voice roared like
thunder, “Close!”
    The wall was solid once more.
    Aradia opened her eyes. The fog was gone, the spider
webs melted, and the Prestons immediately warmed up.
    “Well,” Aradia mumbled, stumbling a bit, “that
wasn’t… that wasn’t so hard.”
    Then she passed out.
    Liza rushed to check her vitals, turned to her
husband, and said, “I think she’s overtaxed her powers again.”
    Ross nodded, and picked up Aradia’s limp body. “You
know, last time she and I were here, it was easier to carry her
out.”
     
    "Hey firecracker, " Ross said as he opened the screen
door. "How you holding up?"
    Aradia didn't say anything. She just kept her head
down and buried in her arms. Ross sighed as he stared at her. The
sun as it was setting in the background shimmered onto Aradia's
hair making it shine like polished brass. The blend of purples and
reds in the sky blended well with Aradia's maroon sweater even her
brown corduroy pants seemed to melt into the scenery. The way she
kept so still made it seem like she was so emotionally detached
from the human world that she could just blend in with the nature
surrounding her. Blend in and be forgotten.
    So if I want to reach her , Ross realized, I
better do it quick.
    It had been several weeks since that horrible
incident at the cave, but Aradia still hadn't