“Holly?” I asked.
“Willow’s moving, Maggie!” Holly said, excitedly. “She’s starting to wake up.”
Only once I saw that Willow was indeed moving, did I allow the rest of the pressure on Leilah’s throat to ease up.
She sucked in air loudly. “There. You see?” Leilah rasped. “No worries. I fixed it for you.” She reached for Willow’s shoulder. “The kid will be fine.”
“Don’t you touch her!” Holly blocked the touch and pushed out with both of her hands. Her magick sent Leilah sliding away and across the balcony floor. Leilah came to a stop when first her backside, and then her head thumped loudly against the balcony railing.
“Hey, I said I was sorry!” Leilah whined, wiping the back of her hand nervously over her mouth.
“It’s too late for apologies, Leilah,” I said, adding my own magick to keep her pinned in place. “The damage has already been done.”
Leilah began to struggle against the magickal restraints. “I had no idea you were a practitioner,” she said.
“Well, now you do,” I said, walking toward her.
Leilah cringed away from me. “Please, Maggie.” Her voice took on a placating tone. “This has all been a big misunderstanding.”
“Understand this,” I said, pulling up power that had Leilah shooting upright and leaving her toes barely brushing the floor. “You fucked with the wrong Witch.”
“I’m so sorry,” she managed to sputter.
“Release her from the thrall, completely,” I said. “I want to see my daughter awake and healthy.”
“Okay, okay…” Leilah said, and started to chant quietly.
I watched Leilah’s face, never taking my eyes from her. “Holly?” I called over.
“Willow’s warmer now, Maggie,” Holly said. “Her breathing is stronger, and she’s waking up!”
“See?” Leilah said after a moment. “I told you, the kid will be fine.”
I allowed Leilah’s feet to settle back to the floor. “For your sake,” I said, “you better pray that she is.”
Leilah staggered a bit. “I promise, She’ll be fine. No harm done.”
“No harm?” I asked incredulously. “Leilah Martin Drake.” My voice echoed with power as I called her by her full name. “Blood daughter of Thomas Drake, half-sister to Julian. I bind you and your powers.”
Leilah’s eyes went wide. She tried to back away, but came up short against the railing.
“I make this vow before the old Gods.” I reached over and yanked a lock of her hair out.
“Ow!” Leilah screamed.
I held the hair aloft. “Leilah Martin Drake, you will never use magick to harm or to terrorize anyone, ever again. If you’re foolish enough to try; your magick will turn immediately against you.”
Leilah pressed a hand to the side of her head in shock. “You pulled out my hair!”
“I have your hair and your flesh, now,” I said, looking at the tiny patch of scalp that had torn free. “You like to play with dark magick? Oh, honey, let me demonstrate how this shit really works.” I squeezed the hair and skin tight in my own hand and watched as she dropped to her knees, screaming painfully in reaction.
Horror clear on her face, Leilah tried to stand, but ended up leaning heavily against the railing. “You shouldn’t be able to do that!”
“I just did.” I leaned in close to her. “I own you now, Leilah. Try and come after me, my child, my family, or anyone in this town, and the retribution will be brutal and swift.”
“I’ll find a way,” Leilah swore defiantly, as she drew herself upright. “No matter what! I’ll take all of you down. You, your stupid kid, my father, all of you!”
“Then you will fall by your own hand.” The words had barely left my mouth when I heard a loud crack. Before I could blink, the railing behind Leilah gave way, and she fell backward screaming.
I did not try and save her.
The thud Leilah’s body made hitting the barn floor below was punctuated by a roll of thunder. As rain began to fall on the barn roof, I took a deep breath, and let any residual magick drain from me. Tucking the swatch of hair and skin in my short’s pocket, I stepped closer to the edge of the balcony to look.
Holly raced to my side and peered down with me. “Is she dead?”
I studied the young woman lying so still on the barn floor. She was flat on her back, arms akimbo, and one of her legs was bent at a hideous angle. “No,” I said, after a moment. “She seems to still be breathing.” As we watched Leilah twitched and moaned.
“Well, here’s hoping she keeps breathing. Because I’m sure as hell not giving that bitch, mouth-to-mouth.” Holly’s voice was dry as toast.
“Mama?” Willow called out in a shaky voice.
“I whipped my head around. “Baby?”
Willow sat up rubbing her eyes. “Where are we?”
“Willow!” I ran to my daughter, gathered her up in my arms, and held on.
“S’ok, mama.” Willow’s teeth were chattering. “Did I sleepwalk again?”
“I love you baby,” I said, holding her chilly body to me tightly. “I love you so much.”
“Love you too, Mama.” Willow burrowed against me. “I’m cold.”
“I can help with that,” Holly came over and rested the palm of her hand against Willow’s head. In seconds, Willow’s teeth stopped chattering.
“I’m hungry.” Willow’s complaint had Holly chuckling.
As for me, after hearing her words and the normalcy in them, I dropped my head to my daughter’s shoulder and wept in relief.
***
Holly called the police from the office in the barn, and when help arrived Leilah Martin Drake was still alive. Once the authorities and emergency services descended, I refused to allow Willow back down the stairs of the barn’s balcony until Leilah was removed.
No one argued that point with me.
Of course, both Holly and I were interviewed by the police. Fortunately, because Holly and my stories matched, and since Leilah appeared to have fallen on her own, the investigation didn’t go any farther. I’m not sure if Lexie Bishop had a hand in that, or perhaps it was due to the Drake
