Free The Kuthun by S.A. Carter Page B

cloud and I rub my hands together nervously.
    ‘Did you see that, Mags?’ I ask her. She barks softly in response. ‘I’ll take that as a yes.’
    My head is reeling. Being a witch has taught me some things but that…that was something else altogether.
    I feel someone’s gaze upon me and cast my eyes back to the last place I saw the beam. And there in broad daylight, right behind the fence, stands the powerful being from my dream.
    My legs threaten to give way beneath me.
    As in the dream he is wearing a gold and violet cloak, which glimmers in the sunshine. He appears tall and powerful, yet there is a gentleness about him that I hadn’t felt before. The shade of his skin is like warm sand and his aura is throwing off intense colours that reach out from his body in every direction. My pulse picks up speed as the golden staff he holds in his hands begins to throb in synchronicity with my heartbeat.
    Out of the corner of my eye I see Magi jump up to the window and put her paws against the glass. She is barking but I cannot hear any sound. This entity has me mesmerised and I can’t look away, yet I am not afraid. I feel frozen in time, my body unmoving. How long I stay like this I cannot know. Then a shadow falls across my vision and my body feels like it is being shaken. I think I can hear my name being called but it’s too faint to tell.
    ‘Ellie! Ellie, can you hear me?’
    Someone is calling me
. It sounds far away.
    ‘Ellie, snap out of it!’ The voice sounds familiar now.
    Uncle Jo
? I hear Magi’s bark getting louder.
    ‘Ellie!’ Uncle Jo yells.
    I blink. ‘What? Uncle Jo?’ My voice is soft and distant. It doesn’t sound like me.
    Uncle Jo has both hands on my arms, his grip is tight, and the pressure of his fingers is pinching into my skin. He lowers his head in relief. ‘Thank God. Ellie, are you alright?’ I feel his grip loosen slightly.
    ‘What happened?’ I ask a little disoriented.
    ‘What happened?!’ He lets go of me and takes a step backwards. It is only now that I notice the sweat trickling down his forehead. ‘Didn’t you hear Magi barking her head off, or me crashing down the door?’
    I slowly glance toward the hole where the door used to be. ‘I…I don’t know what happened.’ I take in the scene around me, a little frightened that I lost my ability to function normally.
    I quickly turn my eyes towards the window and he follows my gaze. ‘What is it?’ he asks.
    The man isn’t there anymore. I didn’t imagine him, I know he was real. ‘The man.’
    ‘What man? Where?’ Uncle Jo is searching the garden for any sign of him. ‘Where, Ellie?’ he demands.
    ‘He was right there, by the fence.’ I point to where I last saw him.
    I reach out for the chair and sit down while he stays staring out the window. I look for Magi but she’s gone. Everything is happening so fast and I feel like I’m losing control. My head falls into my hands and I concentrate on breathing.
    ‘Elena, Josiah, what is going on?’ Ama asks, appearing out of nowhere.
    Uncle Jo turns in fright. ‘Geez, Amaris! Don’t sneak up like that!’
    Ama crosses her arms and frowns. ‘Sorry, Josiah, but being that I am
dead
I don’t have the luxury of knocking!’
    Uncle Jo rolls his eyes. ‘You just frightened me that’s all.’ He looks down at me briefly before stepping forward to give her a peck on the cheek. ‘How are you, Amaris?’
    Ama waits until he has kissed her before she softens. ‘I am fine, thank you.’
    She looks towards me. ‘I am sorry I took so long to return, Shem. The last visit really drained me.’
    ‘It’s okay, Ama. I understand.’ I must look awful as she moves towards me holding out her arms.
    I stand up and enfold myself in her warmth.
    She pulls away slightly and cups my face in her hands.
    ‘What’s happened?’ she asks me softly.
    I glance over at Uncle Jo, who is standing near the bed with his hands in his pockets. His eyes flick across my face and he turns away