Catastrophe (Tales of a Witch’s Familiar #4)

Chapter 1 – Clawdia

CHAPTER 1

CLAWDIA

I didn’t sleep well, so I was grateful when the sun peeked above the trees outside and thin streams of light seeped into the cave. It meant I could stop pretending to rest.

Stop pretending my thoughts weren’t shouting and spiraling inside my mind. Stop pretending the ache inside my chest where Charlie used to be didn’t hurt like I’d lost my heart.

I could stop hoping my small feline body was going to suddenly turn back into the woman I was before. Because it was clear after hours since I’d returned to my familiar form, hours spent trying to find the magic inside me, the magic to turn me human, that the magic was gone.

Missing.

Just as my bond with Charlie was gone.

If this had happened at the beginning of our adventure, losing my human body wouldn’t have been a loss. In fact, I would have celebrated going back to my simple and safe existence. But now I had so much more to live for. So much to enjoy as a human.

Zaide and Charlie had brought me back to life. The thought of never returning to my human form made me feel sick. And the thought of never seeing Charlie again broke my heart into infinitesimally small pieces.

I can’t think about that. I can’t believe that. Charlie isn’t gone. And I won’t believe it until I saw him with my own eyes.

I didn’t want to be sick on Baelen’s chest, so I distracted myself by counting his breaths and enjoying the rhythmic motion of his chest moving me up and down like a ship bobbing freely on the water.

He’d been through a lot and had barely moved through the night. If I hadn’t been sitting on his chest, I might have thought him dead. His beautiful dark skin was ashen, and his stillness scared me.

There was so much I wanted to say and ask about the shadow, his possession of Baelen, how much of our interactions had been the shadow, and how much had been Baelen. But as a cat, I couldn’t.

If Baelen was as innocent as I believed he was, I’m sure he would want to tell his story and get the trauma off his chest, but I wouldn’t be able to provide comfort. I would only be able to sit on his lap and hope the pets he gave me soothed him.

My stomach rumbled a while later as I stared into the mesmerizing blue swirl of the portal. The sound must have woken Baelen, because he groaned and shifted, tipping me off his chest and onto the cold stone. I huffed and shook my fur out, my feline irritation coming back to me with ease.

Yet I was sympathetic as he winced. A cut on his cheek where a stone scratched him, reopened as he moved. He was too weak for it to heal as it should have.

Baelen’s red eyes took in the world around him and I head-butted him, which, in cat, is like a hug.

“You’re still a cat. Are you hurt?” He coughed and sat up. His shoulders shook with the effort, and his dark skin looked pale and glossy with sweat. When I didn’t reply, he raised an eyebrow. “Can you turn back?”

I shook my head, which was a very unnatural move for a cat, but yes, no, and meow would be all the communication we could have until I could turn back.

If I can turn back.

As though in response to my thoughts, Baelen rubbed his head and muttered a curse before explaining, “Not completely unexpected since we learned your ability to shift to human form and speak to humans depends on the shadow magic left from the portal.”

With a heavy sigh that almost made him melt into the gravel, he looked at me and said, “I’m sorry. It must be frustrating.”

The pain in his eyes hurt my heart, and with no other way to comfort him, to tell him it wasn’t his fault, I nuzzled into his bent knee. He picked me up, hugging me to his chest.

He huffed out a breath into my fur and muttered, “I need blood.”

From anyone else, it might have been threatening or creepy to hear whilst being held against their face, but Baelen’s bite was always so pleasurable that I didn’t think to say no and tilted my head to the side.

He frowned. “I’m not taking it from you when you’re so … small and … fluffy.”

I stiffened in his arms, hurt. It was fair enough that he didn’t want to bite me with all my fur in the way—cleaning blood out of it would be a pain—but was I not small when I’m human? Was I a bigger meal? Big? I didn’t know if it was feline or female tendencies making me so angry, but I squirmed out of his arms and turned my back on him, my tail flicking with agitation.

He sighed, and rocks clinked together as he shifted behind me. “I don’t know why that has upset you, Clawdia, but my head is throbbing, and I don’t have the energy to figure it out.”

Perhaps it was unfair of me to act on my turbulent emotions when we couldn’t communicate properly and he was still recovering, but emotions were rarely fair or logical. I turned to see Baelen close his eyes and massage his temples. He looked awful.

It wasn’t an apology, but I rubbed my head against his leg and meowed softly. Perhaps my hormones were all messy since I was a menstruating female only hours ago and now I’m a cat.

Similar energies but different body parts.

“Do you know where I can replenish my strength?” he asked quietly.

I didn’t, but without blood, Baelen wouldn’t heal and we wouldn’t be able to portal back to the island to find Zaide or Charlie, so I had no choice but to nod and let my nose guide me.

I led him out of the cave, and he followed slowly, sluggishly, his footsteps heavy as we walked down the mountain and through a forest. I hoped to find a deer or other woodland creature for him to feed on, but we weren’t so blessed.

My mate was strong—he was the son of gods, had rescued titans and was building an army—but so many times now, I’d seen him at his worst. Attacked by shadows, cruel when possessed, and almost killed when using my power to heal a portal that was destroyed thousands of years ago. I only hoped our luck improved so we could start our relationship properly.

Eventually, the smell of manure and the sound of water guided me to a nearby farm, and the moos that echoed across flat green fields made me want to grin proudly. Surely a cow was big enough to feed my mate. I meowed and nudged his legs, and Baelen stumbled forward, confused, until he reached the wooden gate around the field and spotted the cattle grazing.

“Ahhh.” He licked his lips, and hunger darkened his bright red eyes. “Excuse me, Sunlight. This will not be pretty.”

I didn’t mind, but I sat down to look around as he surged toward the cattle. The surrounding area didn’t look familiar. Snow-capped mountains surrounded us on all sides, and the farm seemed to sit on a plateau in the valley.

Germany? Austria? Definitely Europe. The sheds and structures in random spots across the fields were distinctive, but putting my finger on exactly where we were was impossible.

When Baelen’s head peeked up from his meal and he wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve, I meowed. His eyes met mine, and they seemed brighter, more alert. His skin had returned to its healthy dark pallor, and even the curl of his hair seemed to have more bounce to it. He swallowed and pulled himself up, his posture and strength clear as he walked back to me.

“I didn’t want you to see that,” he muttered as he stood and headed back toward me.

I meowed in response. He can make of that what he will.

Out of nowhere, Zaide’s feelings suddenly hit me like a sledgehammer. It startled me so much that I yelped, losing all the air in my lungs.

Because he was frightened.

My big strong titan was afraid. Deathly so.

I tried to send him reassuring thoughts back, pained to feel his fear and not be at his side, but he suddenly slammed our connection shut so sharply I flinched. All that remained of the connection was my rapid heartbeat.

Why was he scared? What happened? Had he found out what happened to Charlie? Was that why he suddenly blocked our connection? He didn’t want to concern me? Or didn’t want me to misinterpret his feelings?

God, I hope he’s with Charlie. I hope they are both okay.

“Sunlight? Is everything all right?” Baelen frowned at me.

I shook my head but couldn’t explain anything else.

He paused, staring at me as though he was trying to read my mind. “Let’s go back to the island,” he mumbled.

I nodded eagerly since I hoped to find Zaide and Charlie there, and after what I’d just experienced, I needed to see Zaide to reassure myself he was safe. But I worried Baelen wouldn’t be able to create a portal yet. After all, he’d been possessed and healed a portal with my power, and despite feeding, surely all that would keep a man down for a while. Even the son of gods.

But his concentration didn’t falter, and his outstretched arm didn’t wobble as the portal of swirling blue formed in front of us. Upon its completion, he bent down before I could take a step and lifted me into his arms.

I grumbled, perfectly capable of walking, but he just smiled sadly, the sight of which made my heart pang, and said, “I’ve had enough of things trying to tear us apart, so I’m going to take every opportunity I have to keep you in my arms. Even if you’re a fierce little feline.”

We stepped out of the portal to utter silence. The furniture inside our cabin looked the same, if not bigger, than it did when I left to visit Karin for period supplies. It felt like a lifetime ago. Our surprise, joy, and confusion over the return of my cycle was a monumental moment that felt so distant as the portal closed with a flash behind us.

I didn’t need to check the bedroom or bathroom to know the cabin was empty. I would recognize the sound of my soul pair’s and witch’s breathing at thirty paces. They weren’t in the cabin. And even stranger, I couldn’t hear the cheerful chirping of Savida in the cabin next door.

Baelen didn’t look me in the eye as he strode to the front door and let us out. He remained silent, and my fur bristled with the tension in the air when I looked up and down the dirt path to see … no one. Not a soul wandered around, nor could I hear anything in the surrounding cabins, just the wind and the distant sound of the lake lapping at the dock.

I dashed over to Daithi and Savida’s cabin to find their door open, and as I creeped inside the bedroom, I pulled open the cupboards to find it empty of all their clothes.

They left?

It wasn’t until I ran further up the hill and I passed other cabins, all of which had their doors broken in different ways, that I realized something terrible had happened here.

But our cabin and Daithi and Savida’s cabin had survived such destruction.

I jumped over the splintered remains of a door to find that the inside was also torn apart—a sofa overturned, stuffing ripped from cushions; the table and chairs broken in a pile on the floor.

The island was empty. Everyone was gone. And the question remained; what happened here?

And where are my men? Maybe Charlie isn’t safe with Zaide. Maybe our bond broke because he died from whatever attacked the witches here.

My heart splintered at the thought that Charlie really was dead but I collected myself with a shake of my fur. Spinning back around, I started my search again, this time relying on my nose for guidance.

I checked our cabin again and found nothing but moldy toast. The other cabins had the residual smoke from bullets and … a new-leather-shoe scent?

Thankfully, there were no bodies.

I only had the main house to check, but I realized Baelen hadn’t followed as I searched with single-minded focus. Trotting on sore paws, I headed toward the cabin. Maybe he went for a lie-down? Listening closely, I heard a crunch behind our cabin and loped into the long grass and woodland.

He was kneeling near a tree, his hand on the ground, his head bowed like it was a sacred place. I looked at him curiously and waited for him to explain. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and apologetic. “There were hunters. They must have captured everyone.”

I sat down and blinked as I tried to understand. Hunters? How? I thought the island had protection from the wards? They failed?

And then I remembered the horrible vision Daithi had before we came to the island. The one that made the faei turn a similar pallor to his green hair to witness. A vision in which Zaide was captured by hunters and tortured.

With my eyes wide with panic and my fur on end, I clawed at Baelen’s trousers, crying out.

Zaide. What happened to Zaide? Did they take him? Daithi said he was alone in his cage, but maybe Daithi didn’t see himself or Savida or the witches because they were in another cage somewhere else?

Baelen must have seen my fear in my eyes, because he stroked a hand over my head and down my back.

His jaw was tight, and his voice was low as he said, “We saw Zaide. He saved us here. He protected us and got shot himself but told us to leave him and find you and Charlie, that it was his destiny to be captured.”

I heard what he didn’t say. He didn’t want to leave Zaide, but the shadow possessing him forced him to.

I didn’t blame Baelen—Zaide wouldn’t either—but the fact remained that instead of finding Charlie, the shadow portaled us away to use us for his own needs. And because of his actions, Zaide was taken and Charlie was missing, presumed dead since his bond with me was broken.

Anger burned low in my gut. If I ever saw that smokey, evil shadow ever again …

Baelen picked up something in the grass, and I recognized it instantly. My heart sank. Zaide’s prayer stone glinted in the morning light. He usually wore it in his braid, used it to pray to the gods, and treasured it. I meowed pitifully.

I hated the thought of him alone and in a cage, worn down by the thought of this inevitable moment without the comfort of his prayer stone and the hope of his gods listening. It was easy to picture.

Our last stint in a cage didn’t bring out the best in my titan, and he withdrew as his fears overwhelmed him. That it would happen all over again but I couldn’t be there to comfort him was the worst kind of torture.

I was powerless to help him until we found him. Until we tracked the hunters and rescued him from their cruel grasp.

I screamed in my head at the injustice of it all. How much more could we be tested? How much more could we take until we broke?

I tugged on my bond with Zaide, the purple line buzzing with power, and called out to him. I prayed for him to talk to me, to assure me he was all right despite everything, but he stayed silent. Cold. Distant.

Baelen bowed his head and gripped the stone tightly. He whispered, “I didn’t keep my promise to keep you both safe. I’ve failed you all.”

Baelen had felt the moment my familiar bond snapped and saw the pain and death overcoming me. Was he assuming the hunters got Charlie, too? Why would Daithi only forewarn us of Zaide’s capture but not Charlie’s death or suffering? But why would being captured by hunters break our bond?

I couldn’t understand it. Any of it. I wanted to cry and cursed being in this body, where tears weren’t an option.

“Let us look for signs of Charlie. He was last at the main house, yes?” Baelen said and wiped his trousers as he stood.

Before he could even take a step, I dashed off up the hill, running against the wind, drying my eyes out, and getting hit by the long grass, leaving him hurrying behind. The door to the main house was wide open, and inside, the cabin was as ransacked as the others. The dining table had been tipped over, books littered the hallways, and dishes lay in smashed pieces all over the kitchen.

I loped up the stairs to the library and followed the ripped pages, hardback shells, and smeared ink into a room which was completely unrecognizable.

“This was the library?” Baelen asked as he picked up one of the hundreds of books scattered on the floor and flicked through the pages. “It looks like someone tried to hide all the knowledge by destroying it.”

I tilted my head. I hadn’t considered the witches doing it themselves. I just assumed the hunters did it.

He crouched to show me. “The ink has run as though the words have fallen out of the pages,” he explained, flicking through the pages. “It's more likely the witches did this to protect their history and secrets from people who would use it against them.”

It hurt my heart to think about all that knowledge lost, but I hoped they had a place for the words to run off to. If that was possible.

Baelen closed the book and sighed as he stood. “I don’t think we’ll find anything in here to tell us what happened to Charlie. It’s too messy. And I can’t see any blood threads, so he’s not here under a pile of books.”

I wasn’t sure if I should be disappointed that he wasn’t here or relieved. I suppose being crushed to death by books would be a huge betrayal.

Baelen assured me there were no visible blood threads to indicate that anyone was in the building before we left the main house and started back down the hill.

But he halted in his tracks, turned in the opposite direction, and whispered, “There’s a thread.”

A person? Charlie? My heartbeat raced anew.

“They aren’t moving, so perhaps they are asleep or unconscious.” He looked down at me. “Do you know what’s there?”

I did. The ward shed was in that direction. Karin had encouraged me to pour power into the wards so they had extra magic to protect us, but it obviously didn’t work.

I meowed and started running in the direction, hoping whoever we found was friendly and could give us answers about how this happened and where I might find my witch and soul pair. Maybe they could also shine a light on how the wards failed.

“Clawdia,” Baelen hissed, and I stopped at his tone, tilting my head in a questioning way. “We don’t know if it’s a hunter. Don’t run away.”

I wanted to roll my eyes. If it is a hunter, they won’t suspect a cat. But he had a point. I calmed my enthusiasm and trotted at his side.

But as we approached, my stomach tightened at the feel of residual power in the air. The small shed that held the connection to the wards was gone, and in its place lay the boards, windows, and roof in a crumpled pile over what I knew to be the salt pentagram and candles.

Someone is under that?

I looked up at Baelen, who stooped to clear the wreckage.

I guess so.

With renewed hope in my heart, I began helping my soul mate, pulling the broken wood between my teeth. I wasn’t as useful as Baelen, who could toss large fragments of the shed in another direction quickly and easily, but I couldn’t stay still and wait.

“Clawdia.” Baelen called as I was dragging my wood into the side pile I was creating. I immediately dropped my wood and clambered over the wreckage to get to him. The sickly iron scent of blood mixed with salt turned my stomach.

Blond hair. He’d revealed a head and blond hair.

Charlie’s hair? I remember it being darker, but it could be his hair.

Jittery with equal hope and fear, I meowed, urging Baelen to continue digging. He lifted me and swung me onto his back so I could perch on his shoulders, out of his way. But as he moved the wooden wall over the person, they let out a groan. A feminine moan.

My heart sank, and I closed my eyes. Not Charlie.

Baelen carefully tossed the wall off the person and revealed …

Elizabeth?