The Kuthun Read online

  ‘Elena, you have been told what you needed to know since you were a little girl. And you have recited it well. All that you know is true. But do you know what it all means?’

  ‘What are you asking?’ My voice rises, my fists clenching at my sides in frustration. ‘What else is there to know?’ I ask angrily. My body begins to shudder, my power creeping its way to the surface like a bubbling volcano. ‘Is it not enough that I am being hunted as we speak? Is it not enough that Mum was murdered and in her final moments all she could think about was protecting me? Is it not enough that all my female ancestors have been killed for centuries because of one woman’s bitterness and another’s religious extremism! What else is there, Ama?’ I shout with painful remembrance.

  The room starts to shake and it feels like an earthquake has hit the house.

  I stand up and look around me with shock.

  Ama’s eyes widen in surprise. ‘Elena, calm down darling, calm down.’ She is holding up her palm towards me, trying to subdue me.

  Shaking my head I gasp for breath, my hand reaching for my locket. I look over at the charm and it appears to be pulsating. My heart is pounding and stars swarm my vision. In my moment of panic I realise that this isn’t an earthquake at all. It’s me.

  Magi bounds into my room searching for the threat and I slowly turn to face her. She pads cautiously towards me, ears alert, her eyes never leaving mine. I reach out my trembling hand and she nuzzles it with her warm nose. I calm myself by focusing on her face and rubbing my locket. Slowly I start to ground myself again. I feel my feet on the carpet, the air entering my lungs, and my energy starts to subside. Ama remains standing, watching me thoughtfully.

  After a few moments she speaks. ‘Elena, are you alright?’ She takes a step towards me and then hesitates.

  I look at her, not knowing what to say. What is happening to me? I want to ask. But I am too afraid to know the answer to that question just yet.

  My voice comes out in a whisper. ‘Apart from the fact that I just caused an earthquake in my bedroom using God-knows-what sort of powers, what else is there to know?’ My eyes search hers for an explanation.

  Magi has taken sentinel position by my side, her body on edge. Her eyes keep wandering around the room expecting to find someone, or something, lurking there.

  ‘You have every right to be upset and angry. I just want to point out that I would be too if I was in your position. But I cannot stress to you enough, that for right now, I need you to try to remain calm and open-minded to what is occurring. There are some things I can tell you and there are some things that you must find out for yourself.’ I am about to butt in but she silences me with her hand. ‘I know what you are going to say, Elena, but you need to trust me now. Have I ever steered you wrong?’

  My shoulders sag. ‘No, Ama, you haven’t. I just want to understand what is happening that’s all. I have this feeling that something big is going to happen, and with my birthday, and that thing watching me this afternoon I—’

  Ama stands up quickly. ‘What thing?’

  I try to find the right words. It’s a little bit hard when her eyes are boring into my skull. ‘When I was riding home from Phoebe’s after school I felt something watching me from across the road.’

  Her eyes widen. ‘Did you cast?’ she asks while wringing her hands together nervously.

  I sense her concern. ‘Yes. I came up against a wall of sorts. I couldn’t penetrate it.’ I shift uncomfortably at the thought.

  ‘A wall? Were you being blocked?’ Her face creases with worry. The only other time I have seen Ama look like that was when I became sick after Mum died. My uncle and aunt couldn’t find what was wrong. I had a fever, nightmares, a fast pulse, and I slept for three days. No doctor could explain it.

  ‘I felt that I might have been. I wasn’t sure. I don’t know if it was threatening or not, it was just…watching me. But by the feeling I got it was powerful.’

  Ama shifts her gaze to look down at Magi. ‘Was Magi there?’

  I frown. ‘Why would you ask that?’ I can feel Magi gently rubbing against my leg and I remember how she did just appear at my side in that moment. In actual fact, Magi has always sensed when I am hurt or in need. I always put it down to our close bond over losing both our parents, but after Ama’s reaction I now think there could be more to it.

  ‘I just want to be sure you had protection that’s all,’ she states with a flippant wave of her hand.

  Something is not adding up here. ‘Yes, Mags was there. She appeared out of nowhere in fact.’ I frown. How did she know? I get lost in thought.

  She lets out a sigh of relief. ‘Good, I’m glad. I don’t know what or who that was, but like I said earlier today, you have to be extra careful now.’ She is watching me, waiting for my obedient response.

  ‘I know, Ama, you told me. Now can you please answer some questions of mine?’ I ask exasperated.

  ‘Yes, I can try. But I don’t have much time.’

  When Ama appears she can only hold her ethereal form for so long before she has to go away to The Other Side and build up her energy again. Apparently it takes a lot of focus and discipline to project your spirit in this way and not many can do it successfully. Maybe that is why Ama is the only Cole witch to have achieved it so far. She was always the strongest of our line, next to Mum.

  ‘Well firstly, why did the room just shake?’

  Ama clasps her hands in front of her. ‘As I said before, your powers are growing fast. That is for a couple of reasons. One, you have just turned sixteen, and genetically this is the age where we as witches transition from young witchlings to adult witches. This metamorphosis is called the Merging amongst our family.

  I recall Mum using those same words when I was younger and with them the importance of this time in a witch’s life.

  She continues, ‘This will come with many changes, some challenging ones. Your natural abilities will be magnified by your emotions and your newfound power. You became upset and angry earlier and this then channelled your power, intensifying it. But you quickly used your instincts and calmed yourself, using Magi and that locket there of yours.’ She nods towards my necklace. ‘That is beautiful by the way,’ she says sincerely.

  I look down and grab the locket. ‘Thanks. Phoebs gave it to me.’ I take in what she has just said and it all makes sense. I would have liked a heads up on the information before the room shaking scenario but I suppose it would have snuck up on me at some point. ‘Alright, I understand that part. What is the second reason?’

  Ama holds up her hand. ‘In saying that, Elena, your powers seem to be evolving much quicker than any witch I have seen so far. We cannot know the extent of how your magic will transform itself at this time, so you need to be open to all possibilities. Now, I said that there had been movement, I was right about that. The fact that your powers have increased quickly could be that your magic senses danger and is getting ready.’

  ‘Ready for what?’ I ask curiously.

  She frowns. ‘I’m not sure.’

  An overwhelming sense of uncertainty begins to creep its way into my subconscious. I feel like my world has shifted slightly and the enormity of what is to come threatens to crack my already shaky foundation. I knew the day would come when I would have to fight for my survival but I was hoping for more time.

  ‘Ama, what exactly is this charm?’ I ask, wanting to know why Mum would give it to me.

  She takes her time in answering me. I stroke Magi’s fur and wait patiently for her response. Patience is something I have had to learn very quickly in my family. Without it I probably would have exploded with frustration by now.

  ‘Have you ever heard of a kuthun?’ she says.

  Shivers run up my spine. ‘No, but that name is setting off a tingly reaction within me for some reason.’

  She nods, bringing her hand up to rub her forehead. ‘A kuthun is an object or amulet that holds great power. It is passed down through a witch’s family when the previous o
wner dies. In this case, from your mother to you.’

  A kuthun? Well that makes more sense. ‘Why wouldn’t Mum have given it to me before now, or at least told me about it?’

  Her face softens. ‘I suppose your mother felt she would have had more time. She must have projected it into another realm before she passed, keeping it safe until she felt the time was right.’

  My shoulders sag with the thought of the time we’ve missed out on. I feel my chest start to ache. ‘So why give it to me now? And what power does it hold?’

  Ama’s form starts to flicker. ‘I don’t have long.’ She frowns with concentration. ‘Like I said before, you have turned sixteen which is significant and that is why you have received it now. A kuthun must not be given until the receiver is ready, so to speak. As for the other question of its power, well it holds many generations, I mean ancient generations, of the Cole bloodline. The power of it will ultimately depend on you.’ She is starting to fade. ‘Don’t be afraid Elena, trust yourself now.’

  And with that she is gone.

  Damn it! I stamp my foot in frustration. I have so many more questions. At least some have been answered. I look towards the kuthun, wondering how something that seems so small and relatively insignificant holds immense power. I wonder what it is trying to tell me.

  Magi stands and moves towards the door. ‘Hey, where are you going?’

  She flits her eyes towards me briefly before wagging her tail and heading downstairs. Funny dog.

  I remember what Ama said about Magi being there by the road this afternoon and if I think back Magi has always been there for me—protecting me, comforting me, reassuring me. Now more than ever I know that Magi and I are linked on some cosmic level. It’s as if Ama knows it too.

  I shake myself from my thoughts, resolved to find answers. Building up enough courage I walk over to the dresser. ‘Okay kuthun, let’s get it on.’ I reach towards it and my fingers make contact.

  In a blink I am back in the town square—grey buildings surrounding the circular forecourt with two entry points positioned on either side. This time I don’t panic, and decide that to understand what is happening I must remain calm and focused. Nobody can see me, therefore I can safely look around without being detected. I take a deep breath.

  As before there is a disturbing feel to the air. I look at the people around me, all of them dressed in older style garb—women in long dark dresses with shawls and men in long pants and musty day jackets.

  They are all standing collectively among one another, looking toward a distant point of interest. Their faces look gaunt and sombre like they have just survived a harsh winter without much food. Grey clouds loom ominously overhead, giving the forecourt a sense of impending doom. The air around me is permeated by the smell of stale bread, rotten fruit and the underlying odour of sweat.

  After a few manoeuvres that allow me to pass through the crowd I come across the object of their focus.

  The town stage.

  There is an L-shaped wooden structure in the middle of the stage. It has a post jutting out of its top beam and there is a rope strung around it with a noose on the end. Oh no! The scene reminds me of the game hangman, but this is no game.

  The crowd begins to heighten their outrage, with raised voices, insults and weeping. An apple sails past my ear, heading toward its intended target. The guards make their way past me, all dressed in black. One is holding an axe, its steel blade glitters as he walks. Between them they usher a woman up the steps of the stage.

  I realise that I am about to witness a hanging.

  I close my eyes and whisper to the winds, ‘Balesa.’ A spell that blesses the journey of the soul to The Other Side.

  The woman turns her face, which is half covered by the hood of her dirty cloak. She stares right at me and I freeze with shock, not understanding how she could be seeing me right now. She doesn’t take her eyes off me. Even while the men are setting her up beneath the post, readying her for her final moments, she doesn’t look away. They pull the hood from her face and I gasp as I take in her features—delicate nose, high cheekbones, long brown wavy hair, and the unforgettable green eyes of the Cole family. Oh my God! I am related to this woman.

  She lifts her head to the crowd in a gesture of pride, still keeping her eyes on me. She is not afraid. You could say she looks almost peaceful, or at least at peace, with what is about to occur.

  ‘Have no fear,’ she mouths to me. She smiles gently, accepting her fate.

  The only sound I hear is the swinging of the axe through the air as it connects with the rope, releasing the trapdoor beneath her feet.

  It only takes a moment. She is gone.

  My hands have found their way to my mouth, covering it with unspoken horror. Tears fall for the woman that shares my blood. I close my eyes.

  Chapter 4

  I am thrust back into my room and crumble to my knees, my mind struggling to regain composure. Which of my family did I just watch hang to death? I watch my silent tears fall to the floor.

  This all has to mean something.

  Ama’s words come back to me. ‘There are some things you must find out for yourself.’

  Great! Wouldn’t it just be easier to have it told to me, or to have it written in some “Witch’s Guide for Dummies” handbook? I pinch the bridge of my nose and try to calm down.

  I take a deep breath and slowly getting back onto my feet I search the room for an answer. My eyes then fall upon the most obvious solution…the computer.

  Well at least it’s a start. I acknowledge that teleporting back in time is significant somehow and decide to make my first point of focus scouring the internet for anything that mentions amulets and time travel.

  I walk over to my desk and make myself comfortable.

  ‘Okay, here we go,’ I mumble. I type in kuthun and amulet and a few Wiccan sites appear, explaining that a kuthun is an object passed down from a dying witch to another, in order to pass on the power.

  Ama said the same thing. Although I know that amulets are usually used to deflect negative energy, generally a protective object. But this definitely isn’t deflecting, it’s attracting. Although it hasn’t harmed me and does keep me hidden from view.

  I scour through heaps of sites which all seem to say the same things. None of them help me understand the charm that I have in my possession, and none of them explain time travel.

  After a while my brain starts to tire at the repetitive information that keeps coming up. I decide to start writing about the two events back in time that occurred earlier today, so as to keep a log of sorts. This way I can track where and what happened and maybe I can figure out the why later. I recall Mum saying, ‘Ellie, feel your way through life as much as you can. Through feeling, you will be truly listening to your intuition.’

  As I am busy typing about what it all felt like I hear the front door open.

  ‘Hello! Ellie, we’re home!’ Uncle Jo shouts from downstairs. I hear the door close, the sound of rustling bags and Uncle Jo’s boots echoes upstairs.

  ‘I’ll be right down!’ I yell back, a little perturbed by the intrusion. I resolve to come back to the computer later as soon as time allowed. I log off reluctantly and turn to head downstairs.

  But I stop mid-stride.

  Every fibre of my being starts to buzz. When this happens it feels like I am hooked up to an electrical outlet—the static energy ripples through me.

  Someone is here.

  I quickly turn around expecting to find someone standing behind me but no-one is there. The air around me stirs—swirling, building—and on it I hear a voice, ‘The truth you seek already resides within you. Seek the light and all will be revealed.’ As soon as I hear it, it is gone. The room is still and silent, albeit from my own quickened pulse.

  ‘What truth?’ I ask to the air around me, my breathing ragged and uneven. I stand there waiting for some kind of response but I’m met with a deafening silence.

  I hadn’t heard my uncle come up t
he stairs. He’s standing in my bedroom doorway, watching me silently.

  ‘Are you okay?’ he asks.

  I try to act normal. ‘Yep. Just thought I had a spider on my back,’ I say, trying to laugh off my unusual behaviour, while dusting my back off from the invisible attack.

  I must be giving myself away too easily as he gazes at me skeptically. ‘So, do you ask spiders what the truth is often?’ He has a slightly amused look on his face, but his eyes convey confusion. He takes his hands out of his pockets and folds them across his chest. Not usually a good sign.

  I roll my eyes. ‘Okay, it wasn’t a spider,’ I confess, waving my arm around in a so-you-caught-me gesture.

  He raises his eyebrows. ‘Really! You could have fooled me. You tried to pull that off so well.’ He smirks briefly before resuming his concerned expression. ‘Please tell me what is going on, Ellie. I am getting a little worried. I can feel it, so you might as well confess all your sins right now.’ He cocks his head slightly, awaiting my response.

  How much do I tell him?

  I’m not sure where to start. ‘I’m sorry. I’m just feeling a little funny today that’s all. Not quite myself,’ I mumble, hoping he won’t ask me anything else.

  He stares at me for a moment, probably tuning into the fact that I’m a big, fat liar! He nods his head and gestures towards the chairs, indicating that he wants a serious chat. I bite my lip. I knew it! I knew he was reading my mind.

  Before my uncle was a farmer he was in the military. Sixteen years in Special Forces. In what specifically I wouldn’t know as he never talks about it, but he has this sixth sense that is unnerving.

  I move reluctantly towards the chairs and take my seat, waiting for him to take the other one. He takes his time getting comfortable before he begins his interrogation.

  He crosses his legs. ‘Ellie, I know that you are going through some changes at the moment and I know that some of them can be challenging.’ He pauses, waiting for me to interrupt. When I don’t, he continues, ‘We’re celebrating your birthday today and I know you must be missing your mum. I also know that today has been very different for you. Am I right?’