“Fate has a way of deciding things on her own.” Lauren’s statement seemed more like a threat, but Jane knew more than anyone there that fate had a way of stepping in when needed, and least expected. Even if the person didn’t know they needed a helping hand. After all, that’s how Zoey met Slade, moved to Moonshine Hollow, and how Jane had found her. Fate brought them all together and fate wasn’t done with them yet.
Galen sat in Slade’s kitchen and looked at his watch. Jane would be there soon. He looked over his shoulder into the dining room. Neferu, Niles, Fern, and Raiden were neck-deep in paperwork, journals, and old records.
“Do you think they’ll find what connects us?” Galen asked Slade.
Slade crossed his arms over his chest and glanced into the dining room. “I don’t know. But I have a few ideas already.”
“You do?”
Slade nodded, but didn’t elaborate. He wasn’t the chatty type and he wouldn’t share unless he was ready.
“Slade, do you think I can protect Jane from whatever is about to happen?”
Slade uncrossed his arms and looked over Galen. “I don’t know, but I think the Goddess has something up her sleeve. You have powers. We just don’t know what they are. If the prophecy is right and it’s up to the six of us to defeat whatever this black magic is, then yes, I think you can.”
Galen was about to say more when Slade’s phone rang. Slade answered and Galen was about to turn away when Slade went rigid. “Where?” he asked. “We’ll be right there.”
Slade hung up and Galen could tell by the way his jaw was clenched it wasn’t good. “We need to get to the distillery right now,” Slade told the room. “Transport to it. We don’t have a second to lose.”
Galen was about to get his car when Slade reached out and touched him. Suddenly Galen was at the distillery. Fire licked at him. The heat was oppressive. Samuel was yelling to evacuate the area.
Galen looked up at the distillery that provided most of the jobs to Moonshine Hollow. It was covered in a dark sticky substance and engulfed in flames.
“Niles, help Galen get the people out of here and treat the injured,” Slade ordered. “Fern, set up a perimeter to prevent the fire from spreading. Neferu, control the wind so no embers float off and start a forest fire. Raiden, clear the building. Samuel, as soon as the building is clear, soak it!”
Galen gasped as Raiden walked through the fire and into the building.
“His power comes from fire,” Niles said as he flicked his wrist and suddenly Galen couldn’t see the distillery through the thick smoke. Smoke he somehow wasn’t able to smell. “Come on, doc. We’ve got work to do.”
“You’re a doctor?” Galen asked as they began to yell for the people to move away from the distillery.
“I was many centuries ago. I try to stay up to date. Let’s get going.”
“Galen!” Jane yelled as she ran toward him, Zoey, Polly, Lauren, and Magnus by her side. “What’s going on?”
“Fire at the distillery!” Galen yelled back. “Help us evacuate the area.”
Zoey nodded and began to help along with Jane, but Polly and Magnus ran straight for the fire along with a handful of other witches that had appeared behind them.
Slade was unusual. He knew that. He was one of the few witches that had dual powers. He’d inherited both his father’s fire power and his mother’s water power. He wasn’t alone in this, several other witches had dual powers, but it wasn’t common. Today though, it worked in his favor as he cloaked himself in his powers and raced into the distillery.
“Slade! There’s three more back there,” Raiden said as he carried a human over each shoulder.
Slade held up his hand and called out to the water power in him. The blue light hit the fire and sizzled it out as Slade ran to the back. Two men and a woman were unconscious. Slade lifted the woman over one shoulder, but then the building creaked. It wasn’t going to last long, especially if it reached the fermenting area for the moonshine.
Slade gathered the people and then transported them outside. Fern was using her earth magic to build mountains of dirt around the property and to bend the trees away from the fire. “Get Raiden to carry them down to Galen,” Slade ordered.
He turned to find Neferu and Samuel glowing light blue as they controlled the fire. Polly and Magnus joined them asking what they could do.
“I need all fire witches inside to make sure no people are left inside. I need all water witches around the building, inside and out! I need all air witches to whip up some thunder clouds, and I need earth witches ready to smother any fire that escapes.” Slade yelled.
Witches went running. Slade pulled the water power from deep inside the earth, from the clouds, and even the river not that far away. He could feel the area humming with magic as the witches pulled from the elements to grow their powers.
“Now!” Slade bellowed. He released the water energy from his hands into the air. Dark blue and light blue powers mixed in the air above the distillery. A loud clap of thunder erupted and rain poured down from above and even from below where the water in the earth was brought rushing up to the surface. It was working, but not as fast as he needed. Until Magnus stopped next to him.
“Help me,” Magnus ordered. “Take my hand. We’re going to bring the river here.”
Slade immediately grabbed his father-in-law’s hand. “Picture the water,” Magnus ordered and Slade pictured the rushing water from the river covering the flames of the distillery.
“Now!” Magnus ordered.
Slade let his power go. Magnus had a blue power, the shade of which no one had ever seen before. Together they called to the river behind the distillery. A wall of water formed as high as the distillery.
“Everyone out!” Slade yelled as he felt his power wavering. An entire river was hard to control.
“It’s clear!” Polly yelled as she appeared by his side.
“Let it go, son,” Magnus said.
With a flick of their hands they directed the wall of water at the distillery. It crashed down over it, breaking the windows and flooding the inside and out. The water witches and the earth witches worked to control the water from escaping the area. After a tense and hectic time of working together, all the witches dropped their hands. The fire was out.
10
Jane and Zoey stood side by side as people cried. Galen, Lauren, Niles, and all the healing witches had worked hard to save everyone, but some distillery workers were badly injured. Witches who weren’t helping control the fire were helping to dull the pain of the injured people as the witch medics worked their magic.
They set bones, they treated burns, and worked to reunite families. The entire town of Moonshine Hollow had shown up, fearful for their loved ones and the town’s economy.
A thick layer of smoke had prevented anyone from seeing much. Finally the smoke began to dissipate. When it did soot-covered witches stepped from the fading smoke.
“The fire is out and we got everyone out of the building,” Slade said to the large group of citizens eager for news.
“Can I go in and assess the damage?” Mr. Earnest asked. He was the owner of the distillery along with most of the town who had bought shares along the way.