Preys & Predators IV; Monster and Witches Chapter 9

 

9.

 

Inspector Watson stood outside Muriel’s home. He was looking at the charms that he had placed around the house. It was ironic for him to care about the lady, but she is still his daughter.

Their reunion was not exactly family friendly. The Warlock had little choice but to search for his own kin, and the only link was the Muriel’s. He recalled his escape with the mother then.

“William, I am too tired to continue the run anymore.” Kathleen had taken the rest at the abandoned house in the woods. “We have to consider……”

“My dear, we are still in pursuit by them.” The man told the other. “Carmilla will not be merciful towards us. She and her sisters will terminate my existence.”

Inspector John Robert Watson, aka William Katt, sighed at the thought. The covens were battling each other over supremacy in their arts, and one of the coveted arts was the Power of Three. It was a powerful spell that will give the coven much power. He had battled the sisters for it and was defeated. He fled the scene but returned to get his love.

“Katheleen, it is safe for you to be here. Please leave with me.” William pleaded with his lover. He met her at the Muriel house.

“What happened there, William?” Kathleen asked. She knew of his battle with the sisters. She loved him but will not be part of his coven. It was a usual arrangement, but the path of the hearts ruled over the coven’s rules.

“I battled them and hurt Carmilla badly. Her sisters, Annabelle and Lissa, were not there when we battled last. The other sisters were with their own families, and Carmilla was to hold the coven by herself. She was hurt by me, and her life essence was taken by me. She will pursue me to get it back, but the delay will weaken her.”

“Return the life essence then.” Kathleen looked at the man she loved. “We can call a truce over the war.”

“I want to, but I lost it. It was at the mansion when the army intruded on our battle. I escaped with barely my life. I did see the officer there retrieve the jewel that contained the essence. He had kept it then. I am without the essence now. He was the lover of Annabelle.”

“Carmilla took hibernation to recover and was offered the mansion with Annabelle, where she can be protected. She cannot get the jewel to herself, for her physical form was damaged by me. She needs another to hold it.” William smiled. “Till then, the power of Three will not be acted on for now, but the other sisters are still formidable.”

“I could not pursue the sisters, for I was weakened. I had come back for you.” William looked at the love of his life. “I could not leave you here alone for fear the sisters threatened you.”

“I am with my family now.” Kathleen told the man. “I……”

“My love, they cannot protect you. I may be able to do so, but give me time. I need to rebuild my strength and power. Meantime, we take refuge with my friends. Other covens I knew of.”

It was a hard decision then for Katheleen. She finally gave in. Three years of travel to the faraway lands and holding shelter with other covens. They were in no danger from the sisters, but it was William who created conflicts with some of them; hence, they had to leave.

The moment when Katheleen told the lover that she was with a child.

“Katheleen, I cannot abandon my search for the ……” William had tried to explain his tasks. “It will be our salvation.”

“Your salvation, not mine. I must find a home for our child. I cannot be forever on the run. The sisters are no longer targeting you.” Kathleen looked at the man she loved. “You can pursue on, but I am going back. Let them come after me if they are to…….”

“I cannot, my love,” William confessed. “I need the power. I will be the Supreme Warlock.”

“Then leave me, William.” Kathleen looked at the man she loved. “Leave us be. Our child will be with me.”

“Why do you place such a choice towards me?” William sighed. “I love you.”

“I know you do, but your desire to be the supreme warlock is our obstacle. Let me go back home, and you go on. When you are ready to come…home, do it, whether physically or with your soul alone.”

William was unsure of his action. She held out the amulet towards him.

“Hold this amulet. It contained my love for you.” Kathleen smiled. “I……”

“No, you keep it, as our love. That amulet is our love, and if it is destroyed, I will… cease to exist. Hand it to our child. It can be my life essence. I will protect the one who holds it.”

William left Katheleen at Muriel’s home and took on his own journey. His learning was incomplete, and while sheltering with the other covens, he had not stopped his pursuit of learning. That earned him their ire upon his intrusion, and they evicted him. He was wandering the lands to look for new shelters or new covens. In that journey, he was able to secure new spells and arts that made him a formidable warlock. He used his acquired power to challenge the other covens and won most of the battles. Whenever he was defeated, he would flee the area and resume his quest.

Finally, he came across a coven that was formed by a single witch. There were also words that a living creature was there; unliving yet living, as it was alive, and due to the nature of its creation, it was undetected by the witches or demons. He had to see it to learn from it. It was at the town where he left Kathleen years ago. It had been over ten years when he did return there. He could not find himself to see Katheleen or his child; he knew not of her fate. Soon he was to know that his lover was dead, and her child lives with the aunt.

‘Katheleen, I am sorry. I should have been there.” William stood over her grave. “I hold the spell to resurrect you.”

William was to call on the spell that he learned on how to resurrect the dead when he heard the voice.

“Warlock, I will not do that. Your lover is long dead, and her physical ……”

“Who’s there?” William called out.

“Only myself. I am Beezer, the servant, or rather one of Beelzebub. I..." The voice said.

“Show yourself, demon.” William took on the defensive stance to defend himself. He had his battles with demons during his journey.

“Here I am.” The demon appeared before the warlock. Beezer the demon was a minion of the powerful demon, Beelzebub. It held the form of a child's frame with a huge head, puffed cheeks, and a pointed nose.

“Are you…” William stared at the demon.

“Many have mistaken me for my distant cousin, Rumpelstikin, but we are distant… far apart. That dwarf or goblin or whatever was supposedly a blimp in our lineage.”

“Dwarf…. He was …. I met him,” William uttered.

“You did? I am not surprised. He turns up at the worst moments of bad times. What did he tell you? Get my name right? Spun the wool for the golden threads… He knew not any skills of the seamstress…. Or was it three wishes, my dear master, when you polished the oil lamp? I hope you did not rub the oil lamp…… That is part of his rump; hence, his name was Rump. He has bad manners.”

“No, I …… Never mind all that. Why… did you say I cannot resurrect her? William looked at the demon. His dealings with the demons were… adventurous at most times. When the covens refused him shelter, he sought the errant demons or other hosts.

“Well, she has been dead for over… ten years. Her physical form has … extinguished. Your spell works on the recently dead, and added to that, her soul had moved on,” the demon said. “You could try, but the spell will fail. I will suggest that you find your daughter. She is involved with the errant son of Frankenstein.”  

“My daughter?” William was surprised.

“Elizabeth Muriel. She lives with her aunt, Spenser Ann Muriel. They lived in the town.” Beezer then chooses to state his goodbye. “I have to go; I have to find the creature.”

“Creature? Tell me, where is it?” William was excited to hear of it.

“Warlock, if I knew of its whereabouts, would I be talking to you? The creature is not mortal, yet it exists as an abomination creation. I cannot detect its presence at all.” Beezer replied. “Find it yourself.”

William went to look for Elizabeth. He returned to the town and assumed a new name and role.

“Constable John Robert Watson, Sir.” William stepped up to the Chief Inspector.

“Watson, huh. Nice name.” Chief Inspector Lestrade looked at the constable standing there. “By Jove, I needed all the help I could get. Search the land for the creature.”

The constable did that and soon after stayed on to become the inspector. He took on the role as Warlock to build his new coven.

When Elizabeth returned, he followed her at a distance, but he was never to meet her. He was not ready for her. He did see her with one other later known as Victor Frankenstein. He left it there and pursued the creature but found another.

“Warlock, how dare you intrude on my domain?” William was to be confronted by an old witch that was recruiting there at the edge of the town. She had accumulated some young ladies to her coven. They were reported to be missing by the authorities.

“Witch, whom are you affiliated with?’ William asked.

“I am Agathe of Eastwick. I sensed your presence for some time. We finally meet.” The old witch faced William, dressed in the barmaid's clothing, with a sagging bosom and haggard facial expression. The old witch held a long staff to support her posture.

“Willian Katt, Warlock of Creek Circle,” William declared himself. “I am ….”

“Do not impress upon me, Warlock of Creek Circle. I knew of your reign, and you were defeated by the sisters. The war left both sides weakened, and you left on your own soul recovery. Your trail of betrayal and deceit prevailed from those among us. You were banished by them too.”

“I did what was needed.” William defended his choice. “A warlock needed to be powerful, and that came not from alliance or victory but from ever-consuming learning of new spells, even by deceit.”

“And what do you want from me, Warlock? My coven?” The old witch snarled. “I am old, but the wise ways still reside in me. I will not battle you.”

“Leave here. This is my domain now.” William told the old witch. “Your recruitment has driven the town to be wary of the coven’s presence, and soon it will be exposed. Leave now, and I will remove all trace of it. The coven will be placed in limbo till the situation is cleared.”

“And if I resist?” The old witch smiled, revealing the missing teeth.

“Termination. I will absorb your soul and powers.” William replied.

“As you wished, warlock. I will move on, but heed my words, your second defeat will soon come. Not by the mortals but by the creature.” The old witch smiled. “I hold the spell of seeing the future. Yours is marked there. I will be back.”

“You will not.” William called on the fire spell to burn the witch, but she had fled the scene.