The Harvest, page 1
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WITCHFALL
THE HARVEST
(Book #2 of the Witchfall Series)
By
J Clair
Copyright © 2019 by J Clair
All rights reserved. This story or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, objects and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales are coincidental and should not be taken seriously.
Witchfall Continues in:
Witchfall Book III
Patreon: HERE
Youtube Channel: HERE
Newsletter: HERE
Table of Contents:
Prologue
Chapter 1 – 17 Years Old
Chapter 2 – Gathering the Crops
Chapter 3 – The Castle of Beltane
Chapter 4 – Moth
Chapter 5 – Hush
Chapter 6 – What I Came For
Chapter 7 – Outfoxed
Chapter 8 – Darkness and Silence
Chapter 9 – Flora and Fae
Chapter 10 – Kindred Spirits
Chapter 11 – Threats from Every Direction
Chapter 12 – The First Trial
Chapter 13 – Two of Them!
Chapter 14 – Winners and Losers
Chapter 15 – Mark of the Underworld
Chapter 16 – An Unlikely Reunion
Chapter 17 – What Matters Most
Chapter 18 – The One Who Loves
Chapter 19 – The Rising River
Chapter 20 – Conditions
Chapter 21 – The Second Trial
Chapter 22 – Human
Chapter 23 – Witch
Chapter 24 – A Lingering Nightmare
Chapter 25 – Star-Crossed Lovers
Chapter 26 – An Unexpected Trial
Chapter 27 – The Elite
Chapter 28 – Collateral Damage
Chapter 29 – Operation
Chapter 30 – Melee
Chapter 31 – Blood Debt
Epilogue
Prologue
Dinah was laying on her bed sound asleep when her mother knocked on the door. The light tapping stirred her, but she easily fell back into slumber. One more tap jarred her awake and she prepared to invite the visitor in when her mother burst through the door. Dinah quickly did a scan of her room—it was like a tiramisu, layered with clothes, books, dishes and martial art training gear. Her mother’s nose was already wrinkling at more than just the sight.
“Oh,” her mother said, trying to ignore her parental instincts. “I apologize. I did not know you were sleeping.”
Dinah blinked rapidly as she once again did her best to memorize her mother’s beauty and grace. There were dangerous times ahead, and the day could arrive in which she may never see her family again. Therefore, memorizing her parents’ faces had become a necessary pastime. Her mother was a woman of style, so it would be impossible to lock down one of her outfits to memory, but her brown hair was always styled immaculately, cut short with side-swept bangs. And there was the softness of her cocoa-colored eyes, pools of warmth surrounded by hard, wrinkled edges.
“I wasn’t sleeping long,” Dinah replied, shifting her body so that she sat along the side of the bed.
Her mother folded her hands in front of her and sighed. “Are you feeling well?”
“Perfectly normal,” Dinah smiled. She hated being asked about her health.
“Good.”
“Is there a reason you’re here, Mother?”
“Can’t I spend a little time with my daughter?”
“Well, it is odd...are we having a family meeting soon?”
“No, no,” her mother said. “Your father is away. And Leandra is studying. I’ve come to...well,” she paused to gently shut the door behind her, which caused Dinah’s stomach to knot. Her mother took a deep breath and then continued. “I’ve come to inquire about your friend. The curly-haired girl.”
“Madeline?”
“Yes, that’s her name. Can you tell me about her?”
“Why?”
“This is not an official interrogation. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Yet questioning is involved,” Dinah said. She prayed that she wouldn’t sweat. Then her mother would know there was something to hide.
“Allow me to provide you some context,” her mother said, clearing her throat. “As you know, your father and I are always looking out for you girls.”
“Yes, I know,” Dinah said. “You are...honest with
“Transparency is important in any relationship,” she nodded. “While this is not something we like to do, as parents, it is necessary to ensure your safety, and remain confident that you are on a healthy path to success. This is self-explanatory, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Dinah said, wondering where the conversation was headed.
“Your friend’s name...came up on an interest list.”
“What’s that?” Dinah frowned. She couldn’t recall hearing of this kind of list before.
“Occasionally, the Ostara send out letters to former Harvest candidates. Amongst the usual orders, there are also inquiries about persons of interest. Madeline Chase was listed recently. I’d like to know why.”
“I don’t know.”
“I will tell you then,” her mother said, sitting down on the bed next to Dinah. “She is suspected to be involved in the death of a teacher at your school, but do not worry. The Ostara has admitted that his death is not the issue, and they are merely fishing for information about her. They want to understand where this rising star came from and why she seemed to appear out of nowhere in the night sky.”
“What’s the problem then?” Dinah swallowed.
“The problem is that your father and I began digging, and we discovered that you, your sister, and your friends, happened to travel beyond the walls and talk to Lucas Ashby not long after his death. And it has come to my attention, that he is...far more valuable than anyone imagined. Dinah, when does Madeline plan on finding and securing the Blood Witch?”
Dinah’s mouth dropped. Her mother smiled slightly and reached out to push Dinah’s jaw back up into its proper position.
“What is your specialty?” Dinah asked quickly.
Her mother waved a disapproving finger in the air. “Not yet, dear. You know the rules.”
“Then...what...”
“Do not worry,” her mother said, patting Dinah on the leg. “We don’t have all the details. I was hoping you would fill me in.”
“Why?” Dinah asked, unsure if her mother knew the full truth about Madeline.
“Don’t be defensive. If you must know, we asked Leandra to summon Lucas again. He was the one that relayed the information you’ve been hiding back to us. And your father made sure to burn the body afterwards. The circle leading back to you and Leandra is closed.”
“Okay,” Dinah sighed.
“I’m waiting,” her mother said. “Tell me what is happening.”
“The Blood Witch is a tool,” Dinah said. “Madeline wants to make sure that we get to her before anyone else.”
“And where is Madeline now?”
“Out...trying to find Beltane Castle.”
“And what do you personally hope to gain with the Blood Witch? You know what she could do to you.”
“I know, but...she could help me too.”
“Are you willing to take that risk?”
“I am,” Dinah admitted.
“Why? For Madeline?”
“She’s my best friend,” Dinah said aloud for the first time, even to herself.
“Then she knows about your condition.”
“Not yet,” Dinah said, bowing her head. “But I’ll tell her.”
“When?”
“When the time is right.”
“I would advise against that. It will change the dynamics of your relationship. This is why we’ve asked you and your sister not to get too close to others. As romantic as the idea of friendship is, one can never be who they truly are. It is your life to do with what you please, but at least tell her the truth before the Harvest begins...if you must.”
“Have you received word? Is the Harvest soon?”
“Very,” her mother sighed, standing up from the bed. “Within the next few years.”
“That’s still a long time.”
“So, it seems,” her mother said, walking over to the door. “Dinah, it may appear that we favor your sister, but I want you to know that my love for you is no less intense. I understand that you want to forge your own destiny, but I sense something ominous in the air. If it was up to me, I would tell you this: stay away from Madeline and forget about the Blood Witch. She is in the Ostara’s care, which means it will be next to impossible to secure her safety. There are other ways to gain an advantage over your peers.”
“But it’s up to me?” Dinah asked.
Her mother took a deep breath. “For now,” she said, and then she quickly went out the door.
Chapter 1 – 17 Years Old
Madeline wiped the sweat from her brow for the third time in the last two minutes, her forearm caked in dirt, grime, and stone dust. In the distance, a foghorn sounded, and she gave a little cough into the white, cloth face mask. She planted both hands on the edge of her cluttered workstation and admired her work—a rune, no bigger than a bedside clock, lay before her, finely polished and smoothed, with a faint blue gem pulsing from within. She allowed herself to replay a memory—of five girls standing on top of a strange dome with a blue pulsing light. It felt like a lifetime ago.
“Chase!” Jason, a senior manager, called from behind. “Call for you! Make it quick!”
“I’m on lunch,” she said happily, spinning around to face him. Her ponytail nearly smacked him in the face.
“Whatever, just make it quick. Don’t waste my minutes.” He waddled away, the belt on his pants groaning as his buddha belly sloshed from side to side.
“Sure,” she said, practically skipping over to the landline, mounted on a steel beam that had become eroded and rusted with age and overexposure to the elements. Working on runes wasn’t for the faint of heart, and often, the workers dealt with materials that were unknown—boulders blessed by magic, scales of strange creatures, rocks that had been uncovered in a newly formed, unexplored cave—all building blocks for the workers of Runic Inc to use in crafting the next great household item, laced with magic and ready to make the life of the average citizen easier. Machines were becoming a thing of the past, but technology was still very much in style.
“Hello?” Madeline said into the phone, cupping her nose, mouth and the speaking piece so that she would limit the amount of pollution she breathed in without the mask. The facility had an open roof to let in fresh air, but there was still an unsettling, lingering fog found in the factory—it was the hot dog of breathable air.
“Hey, Maddie,” Grant said. Madeline laughed. He was in a chipper mood.
“What can I do for you?” she asked.
“I was wondering if you got the lunch I made for you.”
“Yep,” she said. “Didn’t you notice it wasn’t on the counter?”
“I was making sure you weren’t throwing it away.”
“Why would I go and do a thing like that?” she scoffed. She waved to a co-worker passing by. She winced as the woman nearly ran face-first into a vertical steel beam.
“I figured that because you’re making some money, you might want to buy from the cafeteria.”
“Don’t worry, Grandpa. I’m sticking to my word. The entire paycheck is yours.”
“What? I—little one, that is not what I’m worried about. I was going to say that the cafeteria food is vile. You might as well be rummaging through a dumpster, and they make you pay for it too! The audacity.”
“I’ll stay away,” she laughed.
“You sound good,” he said, chewing on something crunchy between words. “How’s your first day back?”
“They’re not taking it easy on me,” she said. “I’m swamped.”
“Don’t let them abuse you. They have orders to fill, but I can’t remember a single time we were under quota.”
“I’m a big girl now. I can take care of myself.”
“Of course,” he sighed. “But that doesn’t mean you get to stop being my granddaughter. I don’t want some troll in a dark corner of the warehouse snatching you up. You keep your principles about you.”
“I’m not discussing my love life with you.”
“I know, but it doesn’t hurt to try.”
“I’ve got to get back,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s lunch time, and you should really get out of the house sometimes. I hear people of your...age...often wither away if they don’t have a hobby in retirement.”
“You mean old people.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth,” she said with a wide smile.
