Before

Before

Keeley Smith

Books by Keeley Smith

Pendle Hill trilogy

Returned

Before (Novella 1.5)

Soul Keeper trilogy

First Soul

Before
2013

Copyright Keeley Smith

Smashwords Editon

The author or authors assert their moral right under the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the
author or authors of this work.

All Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of
the copyright holder, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of
binding or cover other than that in which it is published and
without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent
purchaser.

I dedicate this book to those who love Jack and Cora as much
as I do. You make putting their journey down on paper all the more
enjoyable!

1

17
^th
July 1609

A cobalt bolt of lightning crashed through the room
splintering the wooden beams that held up the straw roof. Chunks of
wood flew in every direction. She crouched trying to cover herself,
fearing the wood would penetrate her flesh. There was no escape,
there had been no warning.

The noise from the crack made her ears ring; her breath was
coming in short gasps as she felt the cool breeze from the early
morning touch her face. On that breeze she felt her element dance
with glee, waiting to be unleashed.

Looking up at the roof she noticed the large hole there. She
also saw the straw spark to life, the dry summer making this easy,
as she watched the beginnings of a fire take hold of her cottage.
There was nothing she could do about it. Using her element in
public was punishable by death, yet, the people upholding the law
were using their magic now.
They
wouldn’t face any repercussions from this
attack.

White, deadly clouds crept under the wooden door searching for
their bodies. Cora’s breath hitched as the beginnings of fear
grabbed hold of her lungs. She had to do something; she couldn’t
stand back and let them attack.

“
Cora, do not move!” her mother hissed.

Cora was standing still in the corner of the room, frozen into
place by her mother’s short tone. She daren’t breathe as she
watched her mother move her lips with hands held up so they were
facing Cora. She was chanting, the lyrical words quickly blending
together. The concentration in her jade green eyes looked straight
past her, the lines formed between them showing that she was being
serious. Cora wouldn’t ignore her mother’s command, especially if
her life depended on it.

She’d never heard her mother mutter the incoherent words
before, she didn’t know what to expect. She held her breath in
shock when she saw the shimmer, a light green in colour, glide
around her like mist. Her mother was creating a bubble that was
forming around her.

She lifted her fingers, gently brushing the elastic like
bubble. A protection bubble. It was amazing how her mother could
conjure such things. Her fascination was cut short as she caught
sight of the white clouds that snaked closer to her mother, they
hissed joyfully as if they knew they were near glorious flesh. She
opened her mouth to warn her mother but she shook her head so Cora
remained silent.

The snake drew up to knee high, like that of a cobra ready to
strike. It hissed once and then lurched at her mother who turned
just in time, her hands remained by her sides but Cora could
already see the effects of her magic.

The misty cobra’s strike had slowed considerably; it was now
no more deadly than a feather approaching them. The cloud slowed as
it moved towards them, she held her breath as it rose slowly
reaching her mother’s face. Cora was so thankful her mother could
affect the speed of things; animal, person or object did not stand
a chance against her mother as she was the most powerful witch in
the village. She was also the coven leader which meant witches in
the village feared what she could do.

She was the most powerful until the four other witches
visited.

The door flew open, the flimsy wood crashing to the floor
under the force. Her mother watched with mild surprise on her
beautiful face as a man sauntered in. His death black eyes searched
the room. Cora cringed as they lingered over the corner she was
secured in for more than a second. Her pulse jumped nervously.
Could he see her? That should be impossible; her mother had made
sure she couldn’t be seen.

“
Hello, Alizon,” he spoke, his voice holding the hint of a
smile which his face didn’t show. His face was blindingly white,
the black of his hair and eyes making him look
malnourished.

“
Varick,” her mother replied curtly.

“
Now, am I mistaken or does it appear that you are ready to
fight us...surely that is not the case when we have come to simply
discuss things?”

Cora looked at the man with a bemused expression on her face.
They’d come to discuss things? She looked above her to where there
was a hole in her roof and the fire was already licking away at the
dry straw. They obviously needed to look up the definition of a
discussion. Cora couldn’t help feeling annoyed; they’d only just
fixed the roof after the last attack.

“
It is interesting that you mention fighting, Varick, what with
the theatrics of this visit,” her mother spoke lifting her hands,
gesturing to the damage done to their home.

“
No, Varick, I don’t believe we will have any trouble from her
today,” a woman sighed as she entered the cottage.

Her striking blonde hair was flicked absently by her hand, her
large, blue eyes swung around the room, searching.

“
Hello, Alizon.”

“
Melitta.”

“
Now, we hear there has been some trouble here in the village,
care to elaborate?” Melitta asked, taking a seat not too far from
Cora.

Her mother sighed. “Why discuss this when you already know
what has happened?”

“
I merely want to know the facts from your perspective,”
Melitta smiled, her perfect teeth showing as her eyes sparkled with
enjoyment.

“
I believe we need to hear your side otherwise, judging by the
events we have heard of, we may need to intervene.”

Cora didn’t move her body but she craned her head to see the
person who had spoken.

A man, accompanied by a woman, made his way into the small
room. The woman looked up and lifted her hand, blowing white dust
into the roof. Cora watched as it extinguished the flames turning
them into sharp spikes of ice. Cora shivered and bit her lip. This
was the woman who had controlled the mist.

“
Hello, Alizon,” the man with the long white hair said with
some distaste.

“
Evander. Akina, there was no need to extinguish the flames.”
Her mother nodded remaining polite considering she was facing four
very powerful witches.

“
I know,” Akina said, “I didn’t want it to burn down around us
until we have spoken to you first.”

“
Care to tell us what happened?”

“
It is not like I have any other choice,” her mother snapped
just as a bolt of lightning lashed out at her feet.

“
Please be aware of your manners!” Varick hissed.

Her mother stepped forward. “Like you were so aware of yours
when you chose to damage my home!”

The bolt of lightning flew from within the man named Varick.
Cora watched as it travelled towards her mother, intending to hit
the target, her heart, but it slowed as her mother focused on it,
it slowed down to the point where Cora could see the electricity
running through the bolt like veins in an arm.

The four witches had no right to come here and attack her
mother; she hadn’t done anything wrong, especially nothing that
deserved a bolt of lightning to the heart. Cora felt the wind surge
in the enclosed space surrounding her. She could see the way the
force pushed at the elastic.

Just as the tension in the room nearly broke, the side of the
cottage wall exploded. Cora jumped back, barely maintaining her
cover, as Tabitha marched into the room with her hands very much on
fire and her leaf green eyes slitted with anger.

“
What is the meaning of this?” Tabitha snapped.

Tabitha didn’t look her way but Cora was sure she sensed
her.

“
We are simply here to ask what has happened over recent
weeks,” Akina replied.

Cora was fascinated by the woman’s hair; it burned as brightly
as the orange of the setting sun. She spoke with a soft lilt, yet
certain words ended with a hiss, for example when she said the word
weeks it became weeksssss. Mist crept towards Tabitha which she
brushed away with a quick burst of fire.

“
Now, Tabitha, we do not wish you any harm,” Evander spoke
calmly.

“
If you did not wish us any harm you would not be
here.”

Tabitha shot another burst of fire as a creeping white snake
shot towards her. “And those things would not continue to snake
towards me.”

Before Cora could catch her breath a bolt of lightning, so
intense it made her eyes sting, zapped across the room towards
Tabitha. She heard a yelp but she was unable to see anything. Cora
closed her eyes fearing she would remain blind for the rest of her
life. The sound of cackling energy was so intense she was sure the
village would hear. Her element gathered around her, pulsing with a
need to be released. Cora felt the pull, she gritted her teeth to
try and hold it back as it pushed against her protective
bubble.

The ringing in her ears remained but she knew the lightning
frenzy had stopped. She opened her eyes and found Tabitha caged in
the other corner of the room. That was rather lucky because if
Tabitha had been sent to her corner the protective bubble would
have popped, revealing her hiding place.

Tabitha went to push her hands against the pulsing blue bars
that imprisoned her but thought better of it. She growled and
stalked within the small space. “Let me out.”

“
We will, of course, once we have questioned Alizon,” Melitta
replied as she looked at her nails with an air of
impatience.

“
Alizon,” Evander began, “What is this business with Noah
Thomas?”

Cora watched her mother take a deep calming breath. “Noah
Thomas is the village healer and Anne Redfern was sick for a while,
there was nothing we could do so-”

“
There was nothing you could do with all your elemental power?”
Varick asked, joy making his features look wrong; he looked like he
had to go do personal business. Cora held back a snigger, now was
not the time.

“
We follow the rules and do not show magic in front of
commoners, we couldn’t work magic on her as they had seen how ill
she was and it would have brought us the wrong kind of attention.
Anyway, Noah Thomas came and helped. That was all that happened at
that time. Later, he told the authorities that I had bewitched him
which is ludicrous!”

“
And you didn’t bewitch him?” Akina asked straight faced, like
she believed her mother was capable of it.

“
No, I did not.” Her mother stood tall and looked at the four
of them, holding their stares individually.

“
Very well, however, if the unease regarding our kind
continues, please note that we will be back and next time we will
not be as understanding.”

The four witches left the cottage just as the protective
bubble surrounding Cora burst from the pressure of her
element.

2

5
^th
June 1610

“
Now, Cora, one shouldn’t leave the house looking like this, it
is rather undignified for a young lady.”

Cora held back her irritated sigh. She’d nearly escaped, her
hand had practically grasped the door handle when her mother’s
voice had stilled her. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face her
mother.