Accomplices

By the time Remy and Erin caught up with Isabeau, the disaster had already begun. Isabeau had arrived at the outskirts of the festival and was engaged in combat with Mireille and her coven; however, two of the other four witches, in addition to three bystanders, were already dead by Isabeau’s hand.

The corpses were limp and dried as Isabeau had drained them to the last drop of blood to fuel her rampage on the village.

“Remy, I need your help to stop her,” Erin pleaded.

“It’s too late. Her eyes are deep with crimson, the remnants of her human consciousness have been lost. She is nothing more than a beast at this point, a true parasite as the Island Witch would say.” He said too calmly.

“Then help me subdue her,” Erin cried. “Innocent people are dying.”

At the sound of her voice, Isabeau snapped her attention from Mireille and rapidly approached Erin.

In an instant Remy struck her head as he moved Erin from her line of attack, briefly engaging in singles combat until several tree roots pushed Isabeau back.

“This might sound odd, but I don’t have the power or the means to kill her in this state; all I can do is keep her an arm’s length away. You witches will have to deal the fatal blow.” He said loud enough for Mireille to hear as he remained in a defensive position.

“Erin! What are you doing?!” A familiar voice called out.

Erin turned to see Abigail Nurse standing far too close to Mireille for comfort. It was obvious that she was drawn by screams and the chaos.

“Miss Nurse! Please, I beg of you, run far away from here if you value your life!” Erin screamed as she hurled a small fire ball toward a lurching Isabeau.

Completely unaware of the situation, Abigail panicked, “Erin, you’re a witch!” she shrieked, as if that were the only terror in front of her.

“Well, that’ll be a problem when we’re done here,” Remy said calmly as he once again deflected Isabeau’s charge toward Erin.

“Erin, we need to finish this soon, Miss Nurse has drawn too much attention to this charade,” Mireille yelled through the commotion.

I know. Erin thought to herself. If only it were that easy.

“Little Witch, I have a plan, but I need you to not think about the repercussions of what I need you to do,” Remy said, scheming.

“Fine, I’ll do whatever I need to if it brings this nightmare to an end.”

“Isabeau’s heart will be within a foot of you the next time she charges us. Drive a flame through her heart and this whole thing will be over,” he said like it was a normal request.

Erin nodded, following his instruction to not think about what she was about to do.

Her chance came quicker than expected as Remy jostled Isabeau’s most ferocious charge yet. Unwavering and unyielding Erin summoned as much flame as she could from the earth and drove it through Isabeau’s chest. For a moment, her hand felt the coldness of the still heart inside her chest before the pale body in front of her quickly reduced to ashes.

“Erin, this is sudden, but we need to run right now,” Remy said with his hand wrapped around her right arm.

“What do you mean?” Erin let out before she realized the mob of villagers that had approached from the Homestead.

“She’s a witch who has brought a plague of death upon our village!” A man yelled out.

“She must get the rope for what she's done!” Abigail’s familiar voice rang out, wounding Erin at the depth of herself.

“Thank you!” Erin screamed toward Mireille, having consciously made a life changing decision in a matter of moments.

“Don’t let the parasites turn you!” She called back in a jovial tone, knowing she was sending off her only real friend on the homestead.

***

It felt like an eternity as Remy and Erin rushed through the Nurse Homestead and into the forest where the coven had been living. In the time it took, Erin finally had a moment to process that she had ended Isabeau’s eternal life, and that she, like Mireille and all of the vampires, was a murderer: an accomplice.

“I’m sorry about your friends, Remy. I didn’t plan for anyone to get hurt…or die.” She let out with a sigh.

“You already showed remorse for Rodrigo, and Isabeau…she had not been well for many years. I should be thanking you for freeing her from her suffering,” his voice was calm as always.

There wasn’t much to say between them.

Eventually, they arrived at their nest in the woods where Lucien had been patiently waiting.

“I take it that Isabeau has been slain?” Lucien said as calmly as ever.

“Yes,” Remy replied. “She had gone feral and death was the only option left for our survival.”

Remy noticeably choked up breaking the news.

“Little witch, thank you for ending her suffering,” Lucien said politely. “I can smell her on you.”

The three of them stood there in the silence of moonlight for what must have been hours, afraid to ask a simple question like what to do next.

“Two vampires and a witch from Salem. We’re quite the family,” Erin joked. “At least we have your sapphire, Lucien.”

“A family,” Lucien laughed. “Could vampires and witches live together in peace?”

“I’m not sure, but we have nothing better to do than try,” Erin laughed.

The reality had settled in for this new family that after the tragedy in Salem, all they could do was move forward in their journey northward.