The Lightning Prophecy (The Lightning Witch Trilogy Book 1)

Published by

Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing, LLC.

Novi, Michigan 48374

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Copyright
©
2014 by Emily Cyr

Cover Designed by Najla Qamber Designs www.najlaqamberdesigns.com

Editing by Red Road Editing / Kristina Circelli (www.circelli.info)

Proofreading by On the Mark Editing / Susan Turner (www.facebook.com/onthemarkediting)

Editing for CHBB / Elizabeth A. Lance

Formatting for both Ebook and Paper back Nadège Richards

www.inkstainformatting.com

Though some of the places are real this is a work of fiction. The names, characters, and situations in this work are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to any persons living or dead, or situations are merely a coincidence.

No part of this work may be reproduced in any form, other than a brief quote in a review or article without the written permission of the author.

All rights reserved.

Published by

Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing, LLC.

—For my husband Ashley. 

Thanks for saying, “Why not?”

—And special thanks to, Allie, Yvette, Casse

and Shauna. Because damn…

“No one is so brave that he is not disturbed

by something unexpected.”

—JULIUS CASEAR

ALTHEA HAGEN

13 December 1992

My daughter, Delaney, was born during a thunderstorm. I should have known that the next four years of her life would be much like the storm on the day of her birth. My daughter, like a thunderstorm, is beautiful. She has my husband’s brownish-red hair and his wide smile that seems to light up the world. She has my gray eyes and my small turned-up nose. And, much like a thunderstorm, she scares the hell out of me.

“MRS. HAGEN. IT
looks like your cat will be fine. I want to keep him here for a few days though,” Dr. Greenburg said in a brisk tone. We had been seeing this vet for several years, and several cats. “It looks as though the cat got a nasty shock.”

“Oh yes, Frankie must have bitten into an electrical cord,” I lied.
Please buy this lie
.

“Possibly, but the cat had scorch marks on its back,” she retorted, clearly not buying a damn thing I was saying.

“I don’t really know what happened. My daughter started screaming when she was playing with Frankie. I was in another room and then I rushed him here.” That was part of the truth anyway. She seemed to buy this partial truth, thank goodness.

The lie was I knew just what happened to Frankie. Delaney got upset when he scratched her and then she touched him. When she gets upset or overly excited, she sends out electrical charges. I had never seen anything like it before. This was the first time she’d hurt someone or something, though. She was getting stronger and I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I felt like a failure as a mother, not just because I had no idea how to handle my child, but also because I secretly wished she were normal.

I left the vet and headed home in a hurry. I had to get back to Delaney. Mrs. Adams, our elderly neighbor, was watching her and there is no telling if Delaney could unknowingly hurt her.
God, what parent worried about their child electrocuting the babysitter?
I knew Robert may not want to admit it, but our daughter was a witch. We needed help dealing with her. We needed help controlling her. We needed help not getting hurt around her.

“Mommy!” Delaney’s eye’s sparkled when she saw me. She ran up to me and hugged my knees.
Ouch. At least it was only a slight shock.
“Where’s Frankie, Mommy?” She looked up at me with puffy red eyes and a tear streaked face. Her hair was a halo of brown cotton going out in just about every direction.

“Hey, baby girl. Frankie is staying at the doctor’s office. He saw a few friends there and he wanted to spend the night,” I said, smoothing my hand over her wild hair.

“Oh, okay.” She gave one of her Earth-shattering smiles and ran into her toy room. I turned to Mrs. Adams and gave her a weak smile.

The seventy-something-year-old woman stood up and walked over to me, placing her wrinkled hand on my face. She smelled of wintergreen and mothballs.

“Oh, honey, you look so sad. Is the cat okay?” Her voice was so small and sweet, it pulled at my heart and made me want to cry simply at the sound of it.

“Yes, he’s fine. It’s just been a long day.”

“Okay, dear, but you call me if you need me. You hear?”

I nodded and said, “Yes, ma’am. Thank you so much for watching Delaney.”

She shook her head and smiled. “No worries, dear, she’s a good child. A bit clumsy, but good.”

I walked Mrs. Adams to the door. After she was gone I sat at the kitchen table with the telephone in front of me. I was vacillating. Do I make the call or do I try to handle my child on my own? Why, as a parent, was it so hard to say we are in over our heads? After debating with myself for twenty minutes, I picked up the phone and dialed the number.

“Aye, what do ya want? It’s dinnertime.” Mil’s Irish lilt rang loudly over the speaker. I glanced at the clock over the stove to see it read 4:04 P.M. Seemed a bit early for dinner, but fine.

“Hi. Mil, it’s Althea.” There was silence for a heartbeat.

“Ah, yes, Georgina’s girl.”

“Yes. I am glad you remembered me. How are you?”

“Pfft, girl, out with it. I know you did not call to chat with me.” Her tone was brisk and to the point. My chest began to tighten and I could feel my heartbeat in my hand as I gripped the phone.

“Mil, I-I-” I took a deep breath, mentally chanting,
you can do this
. “I think my daughter, Delaney, is a witch.”

I heard her take in a deep breath. “Aye, well, you know you need to take her to the Coven for training. They will…”

“Aunt Mil,” I cut her off, “she has power I have never seen before.”

“Girl, there are only four powers she would have.”

“Aunt Mil, she electrocuted the cat.” There, it was out there. Now someone else knew. There was a long pause.

“Tell me everything.”

And I did. I told her how we thought it was static electricity. But, that we quickly learned it was tied to her emotions. I had known she was a witch for some time; however, my husband kept saying to give her time and she would grow out of it. After I was done, I voiced my biggest admission.

“Mil, I’m scared of her.”

“Give me your address, girl. I’ll be over in a few hours.”

I did as she requested then asked, “Should I call the local Coven?”

“No, for God's sake don’t do that.” The sound in her voice had a bit of worry in it. I looked over to see Delaney playing with her dollhouse. In that moment, I could only see the perfect child I held four years ago. I hung up the phone after saying good-bye and waited for Mil to get here. I waited for help.

Three hours and fifteen minutes later, Mil was standing in my kitchen. I sat the teapot on the burner and got out three bags of Earl Gray tea. I went to get two mugs, but there were none to be found. Clearly they were all in the dishwasher.
Great
. I began putting the dishes away.

“Aye, girl, let me help you,” Mil interrupted, coming to grab a pot off the top rack. There we were, both not talking about the reason she was here, trying to put off the inevitable.

The inevitable came bounding into the room.

“Mommy, I can have a cookie?” Delaney asked, looking up at me expectantly. Her eyes found Mil and froze on her.

“Hello, little one.” Mil walked over to Delaney and bent down to look at her.

Delaney firmly looked at her shoes, trying to avoid the new person in the room.

“Delaney, this is Mommy’s Aunt Mil. She’s your aunt too!” I said, trying to get her to open up. Her eyes met Mil’s and stayed there. A big smile spread across her face.

“I never had an aunt before. Can I have cookie?” Delaney looked up at me with such hope in her wide eyes. That expression always tugged at my heart.

Just as I was reaching for the cookies, Mil waved a hand at me and in a stop gesture.

“Oh no, little one, no more cookies,” Mil said. What was she playing at? All she was going to do was upset Delaney, then she would ... oh. The smile fell from Delaney’s small face and was replaced with a frown.

“But, I want cookie!” Big, fat tears spilled over her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Laney girl, but they are all gone. I ate them all.” Mil’s voice carried a sorrowful tone. Delaney’s silent tears became heartfelt sobs. I thought for a moment nothing would happen and Mil would think I was insane. But, just then, sparks began to fall from Delaney’s fingertips. Mil’s eyes went wide at the sight of the falling electricity. She looked at me not in horror, but in sympathy.

“Oh look! Mil left one more just for you!” I said with tears in my eyes. Delaney’s bright smile returned to her face as she caught sight of the cookie.

“Oh, Aunt Mil, thank you! Thank you, Mommy!” she said as she grabbed the cookie and returned to the toy room.

“Come, let’s sit at the table,” Mil said, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the metal chair. She didn’t look horrified. Why? Hell, I felt horrified.

“Can you help us? Please?” I knew I sounded frantic; it’s how I’d felt for the past two years when this first started. “I love Delaney. I-I-I just don’t know how to raise her.”

“Hush now. I know you love her. I also know you are not equipped to deal with her power.” Her tone was so matter of fact.

“Even for a witch, this power isn’t normal, is it?” My voice was a bit shaky. Hell, finally I had someone who would help us! Maybe we could be normal.

“No, it’s not. But, I need you to listen to everything I am about to tell you. There is a prophecy that has been handed down from within the inner circle of the Coven. It is said that the words came from the mouth of the last known human sacrifice of the Druids. It is told that the prophecy came from Taranis, the God of Thunder himself. Back then, the Druids who were the first witches needed to perform these sacrifices to make sure their powers were maintained through all of time. After time passed, the act was outlawed. With the Druids not being able to perform the sacrifice, their powers changed into what we are today. Druids had a great amount of power. They not only could control the earthly elements, but they could shift forms into beasts. But, once the sacrifices stopped, the powers diminished and split.”

“Okay, so what does any of this have to do with Delaney?” This was all going over my head. What could any of this have to do with my little girl?

“It was said that the lifeless body of the sacrifice spoke after her death. It was written that a child would be born of the God of Thunder and Lightning. But, child, I cannot tell you all of the prophecy just yet as I need to get to know the child and I need to fully understand it myself. But, what I can tell you is she is supposed to bring the end of all witches.”

My mouth hung open. Was she ill? Crazy, perhaps? I sat there with my mouth agape, just staring at her. I mean, what else could I do? After a story like that? She told me next to nothing, except that my child would bring an end to the witches. It sounded batty. I didn’t say that, but I wanted to.

“Stop lookin’ at me like I’m the crazy one!” she said, clearly offended at my shocked expression. I shut my mouth with an audible click.

“Mil, you just told me my daughter is going to wipe out every last witch. Oh and you can’t tell me the rest? I’m not sure how to take that,” I replied, honestly taken aback.

“Don’t believe me? Fine, take her to the Coven and explain it to them. They will not only take her from you, but they will likely use her powers for their own purposes or kill her. And they will give you less explanation than I have.” Her tone was so pointed I felt the sting of the words against my skin.

Mil’s eyes told me she was one hundred percent sure of every word she spoke. It made a shiver run down my spine. I got up and walked over to the entrance to the playroom. Delaney sat at a small table with a purple plastic tea set on it. She was currently pouring imaginary tea in her green bunny’s teacup. I looked over at Mil, who stood in the doorway watching my little girl.

“So, what do we do?” I asked as my throat began to close with a silent sob.

“I will leave my position in the inner circle, and I will train her to the best of my ability. We agree to never tell her any of what I told you, and…” she looked at me, her gaze hard and very, very serious, “we run.”