Sticks & Stones: A Supernatural Novel

It was once said a woman with untold power from the moon would be able to control, not only the elements, but also the powers of the sun. This woman would have power which no one had ever known before. She would be unlike any other to step upon this world. She could make mountains shake and oceans cease. Her mind would be locked to even the strongest of foes, her body untouched by even the strongest of men. Her power would rival the sun itself. An unknown figure from the shadows, her appearance will come at our darkest hour. In an act of pure triumph, she will be our savior, saving us from the most majestic of evils, but in return, it shall be her greatest downfall.

Prologue

1693

Lilliana sat on the dirt floor, trying in vain to close her eyes. For months now, the trials in Salem had raged, and these twelve women were its current victims. There had been many others before, but Lilliana only personally knew the other eleven locked in the cell beside her. Each of them had been accused of witchcraft, and when they were found guilty, each of them would be burned at the stake. It had been days since Lilliana had last seen sunlight. There were no windows, only bars and a dirt covered floor. She couldn't remember how long she had actually been there. It could have been days, weeks, or even a month.

Lilliana knew she wasn't meant to be here. She was supposed to be home, taking care of her shop, not here with these other terrified women, all of them scared for their lives. She was supposed to be finding a husband, starting a family, helping with the community. Not this. This should not have been happening. Lilliana stood up and walked over to the jail cell bars. It felt like night. She could smell it in the air, the scent of the midnight moon. She clasped the bars and placed her head against them.

She had no idea how this all started. One moment the village seemed fine, calm and peaceful as it had always been. Then out of nowhere, they were dragging girls out of their homes. It started with only one or two, then it became dozens at a time. The constable claimed they were witches, unholy things that lived for the night, placing spells on the innocent. Many of her friends were in here with her. Hazel Blackburne, Alice Fairfield, and others known throughout Salem. They had tried to find an escape, but there was no possible way out. They were losing numbers by the hour, and their cause kept getting more and more hopeless.

Lilliana stepped away from the bars, scanning the floor for where Hazel was. She sat in a corner, trying to get the blood out from the depths of her hair. Lilliana carefully walked over to her, making sure she didn't step on anyone. She sat down beside her and tried to relax. This wasn't fair for either of them.

Hazel and Lilliana had been friends since childhood. Hazel was one of the few good memories Lilliana had left. In her heart, she knew she would do anything she could to save Hazel. As she sat next to her, Lilliana could remember all the things they used to do, running through the woods, swimming in creeks, the sunlight shining through the trees all around them, the refreshing river water running across their tiny toes. The birds would sing, making them feel at home.

She and Hazel had separated though, as all friends eventually do. Their lives changed; they grew too old for childish games. Once Lilliana became old enough, her mother gave her the family business: the apothecary. It had been in the family for three generations now, and Lilliana loved it dearly. It wasn’t long before she barely knew Hazel at all. So interested in her work, she had practically forgotten poor Hazel.

Hazel's mother died in child birth. Her father had died a few months before the witch hunts began, leaving Hazel completely alone. While Lilliana had inherited the apothecary, Hazel had gotten a job as a bar maiden. It wasn’t noble, but there was still money to be made. Lilliana knew life had been hard on Hazel, but there was nothing they could do. People died, and now, so would they. It was so hard thinking this way, knowing their lives were about to end, knowing they wouldn't have children or husbands, knowing there was no way out of this.

Lilliana just wanted to show everyone that they were normal, that evil did not live within their souls. She turned her head, looking directly at Hazel, her blonde hair knotted down her back, still trying to get the blood out of it. Hazel's blue eyes locked with Lilliana's gray; they stayed in that position for a moment, not talking, until Hazel broke the silence. Lilliana knew what she was going to say. It was the same thing every time.

I want to leave, sweetie, Hazel whispered.

Lilliana shook her head, tears appearing as she did so.

I know we can do it, Lilliana; it has to be possible. We can get out of this Hell.

It was Hell; it always had been. Salem had never exactly been a great place. Their laws were wrong, and so were most of the townspeople. Lilliana stayed for her mother and the apothecary. There was nothing else here for her. A part of her wanted to see the world, to travel the land like Alice had. It was her only dream, but she stayed.

Hazel.

She looked up at Lilliana, waiting for her to say what was on her mind. Her legs were crossed, elbows balanced on her thighs.

Can we pray? Lilliana asked. I think it would calm my nerves.

Tears ran down Hazel's face as she nodded. Of course we can, sweetie.

Hazel took her hands as they both closed their eyes and began praying to their God. They didn't share the same God with the rest of the town. Lilliana and Hazel had been raised Puritan, but things changed. The day Alice came to town, she brought stories, stories of different Gods, of more forgiving Gods. Lilliana told the stories to her mother, and her mother had changed as well. This didn't make them evil; it didn't make them witches. They just wanted forgiveness.

Lilliana suddenly felt a light. Her eyes couldn't open, but her senses were growing. The other women in the cell had surrounded them. Figuring out what they were doing, Lilliana held out her hands, hoping the girls would join in. Now they were all praying, asking for help for this terrible tragedy.

They prayed, and they prayed, refusing to let go until their cries were heard. The light in Lilliana spread. It went to Hazel, then Alice, through all of them until it went through each and every girl. Lilliana couldn't let go; her eyes couldn't open. It felt so bright she assumed the sun was coming up.

Today was her trial, and she never wanted to see that sun. It was too hard, knowing that today had finally arrived.

Their cries became louder and louder. She felt something in her chest, like a vine slowly wrapping around her heart. This couldn't be the sun; they didn't have windows. If she died in here, it would be better than dying out there. It didn't matter anymore, nothing did. Lilliana opened her eyes, finally accepting her and everyone's fate. There was no escape; there were no Gods. No one would save them, and this was their end.

She looked up, and above her was a God. Not just any God, but her God. The one she had been praying to. There were others surrounding them, but Lilliana did not know their names. She knew without knowing what they were. They were ancient.

Lilliana let go of the hands that clasped hers and slowly stood up. She faced some of the most magnificent beings to ever inhabit the world. We need help, she cried out, looking up to all of them. "We need your help."

They looked down at her and laughed. You summon us, and expect our help? We should smite you where you stand. Inconsiderate fool. What do you take us for?

Lilliana felt stunned. How could they laugh? She worshiped them; they all did. Hazel stood up, coming behind Lilliana and taking her hand.

If you kill her, you'll have to kill me as well. You'll have to kill us all, Hazel announced, gripping Lilliana's hand tighter. Lilliana could not think straight; she hadn't eaten in days and nothing made sense to her. She closed her eyes, trying to forget everything that had happened, everything that was happening. This was it. She would die holding her best friend's hand, and she accepted it. They did all they could. This was it.

Her heart tightened again, just as it had before. A heart attack seemed fitting. She gripped Hazel's hand, tighter and tighter. Another hand grabbed hers, and then she heard a scream. Moments passed before she realized the screams were coming from her mouth. Tears ran down her face as the room became bathed in a bright light. And suddenly, everything was silent. Lilliana didn't want to open her eyes, but she knew she had to. Something had happened; she wasn't dead.

Hazel said something to her, but Lilliana couldn't take her eyes off of what was standing before them long enough to actually listen. The old Gods were gone. This one was something else; this one was different. He had four arms, blonde glowing locks of hair, and He was completely naked. He looked as soft as a newborn baby, but the most menacing thing Lilliana had ever seen. Hazel was still talking, shaking Lilliana's shoulders.

Lilliana! Lilliana, can you hear me? Hazel exclaimed.

Lilliana nodded. Had He spoken? He was so beautiful; Lilliana couldn't focus.

Hello, He whispered.

Lilliana looked at Hazel, and Hazel back at her. Do you have a name? Lilliana asked Him.

He shook His head. How could He have a name, she asked herself. He was brand new.

She slowly eased away from Hazel, trying to get closer to this new being that stood before them. "Would it be okay if I named you?" Lilliana asked Him.

It suddenly became harder to stand. The pain in her lower thighs slowly spread to the rest of her legs. Lilliana leaned up against the brick wall for support, hoping she could keep from passing out for a few more minutes.

You're hurt. All of you are hurt. What has happened to you poor women? The new God spoke to them like equals. He walked up to Lilliana and picked her up, helping her stand. The women around them gasped in disbelief. His arms were strong and smooth beneath Lilliana. He was so strong; it seemed unbelievable; everything about Him seemed unbelievable. He didn't let go of Lilliana but looked down at her instead.

We have been captured. We were praying for help, but something else happened instead, Lilliana said, looking up at the majestic being standing before them.

I happened instead, He said.

Lilliana nodded. He was so beautiful. I think I've found a name, she replied seconds later.

Light grew within His eyes, making the other women pay even more attention to Him. Lilliana couldn't stop thinking about how Glorious He was; it would be all anyone would ever think about from now on. Everyone would sing His name and cry out for His beauty.

Taleon.

Taleon smiled and nodded. It sounded good; it sounded right. Everything about it fit Him.

Taleon is my name? He asked.

We could name you something else, if you would like. Lilliana looked up at Him and tried to smile.

No, I like it. He smiled even brighter now. It seemed like the room itself was brighter as well. In the midst of all of this tragedy, they still managed to smile. Taleon reached for all the women, telling them to hold His hands. He said He was going to make everything right. They agreed, one after the other. Lilliana and Hazel took each other’s hands. Without words, Taleon told them to each close their eyes and imagine all of this pain, all of this suffering, to be over. Imagine the people that hurt them; imagine all of them burning. They all nodded in unison, feeling power move through them. It was the greatest feeling Lilliana had ever known.

Then suddenly, they all started to choke. A black liquid began to pour out of Lilliana's mouth, and then, one after the other, the rest of the girls did the same. The darkness covered the floor until it started to slither through their feet, before crawling back up their legs. It slid all the way up their bodies until it reached their necks. Once there, it choked them again. Lilliana could feel herself fading, as if her very life was being sucked out of her. Her mouth opened once more, and everything vile that just came out of her immediately went back in. As if a hand pushed it, the darkness slid down her throat and stayed there. She fell to her knees, gasping for air.

The other girls were in the same position. Taleon walked to each girl and pushed the vile down their throats. Still in shock, Lilliana held onto her own neck; none of it felt real anymore.

Lilliana stood, suddenly feeling better. Her legs didn't hurt, nor did her arms. She felt brand new, like nothing could stop her, invincible. She was no longer lost or confused. She felt completely reborn, as if all of her old troubles were no more. Hazel stood beside her, slowly rubbing her neck. It had been just as bad for the others as well.

Oh my, Hazel whispered. Hazel held her hand up in front of Lilliana, showing the reason for her sudden distress. A small flame flickered out from Hazel's fingertip. Taleon motioned all the girls to surround him. He was going to say something.

I am leaving, but I am not leaving you helpless. Go out into the night and take back what they stole from you. I love you all, my mothers. As the final word escaped his lips, he disappeared, one second there, the next, gone. Some of the women were crying, others shaking. The past few months had been traumatizing for all of them; it was understandable that they were upset. They deserved to be.

Lilliana knew what she had to do. She stared at the bars keeping them from freedom. They had mocked her this entire time. If only one of them had been loose, it would have been enough for them to escape. One was all they needed. Lilliana looked down at her hands, still covered in the black liquid from before. She wiped them off on her ragged dress and took hold of the bars. They were rusty and old; it wouldn't take much for them to break. They squealed and whined until finally she broke them loose. Hazel saw what Lilliana was doing and called the other girls to do the same. One after another the bars broke, and they could smell the fresh breeze that was freedom. Finally.

Taleon had been right. He gave them the power, now all they had to do was use it. They ran out into the night, ready to show the world exactly what kind of gift they had been granted.

~*~

Journal Entry #1.

It seems that every time something goes wrong, I forget to write it down. So this time, I’m writing it down. Everything that has happened since Taleon was created, every time I created something I shouldn‘t have, every time I had to kill someone. I’m telling everything.

I wish I had done this a long time ago. Maybe I could have realized what was going on. Maybe I could have stopped it. We didn’t mean for this to happen. We just wanted to be free. We wanted to go back to our old lives, but I guess that’s not what we were meant for. If Hazel had listened to me, this war never would’ve started. I wish I had convinced her. By the time I figured out what was happening, she was too far gone. She hated herself and all of us. I think she hated Taleon the most. She didn’t realize how much we needed him---how much we still need him.

He’s the only one who can stop this, but I doubt he even cares anymore. We shouldn’t have pushed him away; he was the only child we would truly ever have, the only child I would ever have. I wish I had more time. Every year feels like a hundred, and every hundred feels like a thousand. I feel so old now. I’ve done so many terrible things. Nothing feels real anymore.

Maybe I should start with Jebidiah. Things were bad for me, very bad. I hadn't known sense in so long, I stopped caring what happened to anyone. I focused on my power, getting stronger, becoming a better witch. I should've focused on being a person, not a witch. I should've noticed what was going to happen, what I could have prevented. I'm not the person I used to be, and I won't be her ever again. I may be a monster, but I will never be that again.

It was the early 1900's. I was traveling, trying to find a new place to live. It was northern Florida, complete wilderness, but I'd found an abandoned house. It was perfect, in the middle of a forest without a single person for miles. Except for one: Jebidiah. I thought the area was deserted until I stumbled upon him. He was a farmer, and working that hard for years had apparently worn the man down. He was about forty years old, but acted as if he was about sixty. He had a sweet wife and his son was quite young. I don’t remember much about them, I only met them once, and it wasn’t a long visit.

When I first found the area, I thought the woods were mine, but things change, like they always have. The first time I ever met dear Jeb, he had a rifle pointed at me. It was quite amusing at the time, now it’s just depressing. Jebidiah never liked me. He knew what I was and how dangerous I could be.

To be honest, I never liked him either. He wasn’t a bad man, nobody ever really is. I was just the one person in the world he shouldn't have met. I realize that now. I never understood Jebidiah, and he never understood me. He thought I was a monster, and I thought he was an ignorant old man. Sadly, neither of us had been wrong.

A few weeks after we'd met, I was outside of my house doing a spell. When I say spell, I don’t mean any of that hocus pocus bullshit. I’m talking about the real kind. This isn't a cartoon or a magical fairy tale. I was trying to control nature. It was an idiotic attempt, but it was something new and different. I hadn't done anything exciting in years, and I was tired of wandering around the woods. The animals didn't like me, and I wanted them to know that I was not to be feared.

They should have feared me. Everyone should have. But in the process of trying this new spell, I must have woken Jebidiah. It wasn’t twenty minutes after I had started the spell, he was running through the woods trying to find me. He started screaming at me, saying he was tired of my shit, and all sorts of other things. I couldn’t believe it. Tired of my shit? I hadn’t actually harmed him, well, besides killing his goat. But it was just a goat. He could’ve gotten another one. I remember his eyes looking wild, his fists being raised in the air. He screamed, over and over and over again, constant yammering of how horrible I was, how these woods were his property and so on. It was a dangerous spell, and I don’t know exactly what I did. I hadn't tried anything like it before; I was upset.

I remember his eyes turning black, and then, he howled. It was like listening to the moon itself shatter into a thousand pieces. Fur appeared across his body, and claws came out of his hands. It was horrible. Instead of putting the spell on the forest, I put something on him instead. Despite trying to live near him and his family, trying to coexist without hurting anyone, I ended up making one of the worst mistakes of my entire life. I woke up later that night; the forest was a wreck, trees torn down, animals dead. I remember blood splattered across the forest, animal carcasses strewn throughout my yard. I didn't know what had happened until months later, but that night, I had created a werewolf: the first werewolf.

Jebidiah Blacksmith was just a farmer, a simple man with a simple dream. And I ruined him. I ruined his life, and I destroyed his family.

This is my first journal, and I want it to be clear. I'm not a hero. I'm not a good person. I did some really bad things, and now, I'm writing them down. If there is anything I've missed, this is how I'll find it. We don't have heroes in this world. We have bad people and really bad people. I've lived through the last hundred years trying to be forgiven for my mistakes. I don't want anyone ever thinking I was a good person; because I'm not.

~*~

Three Hundred Years Later: March 31st

Lilliana walked out of her house and got into her car. It was Wednesday, the middle of the work week, and Lilliana Cromwell, now known as Lily Wells, owned a small fortune telling shop. It wasn't much, but it gave her something to do.

She pulled into a huge parking lot. It was early spring, and the trees were just now starting to bloom. She parked her car and casually strode over to her store. There was a slight breeze as she walked up to her shop, making her long black hair blow through the wind. She walked into the large room and admired the walls, each covered by shelves filled with books. In front of the shelves stood the counters, filled with strange potions and supplies for spells. She opened up the door, announcing that the shop was open. After making sure everything appeared just right, she pulled a magazine from her purse and sat down behind her desk, waiting for the eventual customer to appear.

How are you doin’ today, Mark? Mark was one of her two employees. She didn't actually need them, but it gave her someone to talk to throughout the work week. Mark was in his early twenties; he'd worked for her for two years now. She looked up from her magazine to take a look at him. He was fairly tall, about six foot one, scruffy brown hair, and a smile that charmed all the ladies who came in. She never had any problems with him. He was just a normal guy. He didn’t have any family that she knew of. Always reliable, occasionally she would leave him to run the shop, knowing it would be fine.

Going slow today, Lily. Has there been any business so far?

Lilliana laughed. Not yet.

Mark walked over to a shelf filled with potions and other assorted items, books with so-called spells in them, charms that were just pieces of plastic, made to look like charms. They were mostly gag gifts, things Wiccans would buy. Lilliana thought it was a good market, even though none of it was real. Sometimes, she would put actual magic in something, knowing one of her customers would get a real scare. It was all fun and games; that’s all this place was to Lilliana, something to distract herself with.

You think these potions really work? Mark raised his eyebrows, a grin appearing on his face. He picked one up and shook it a few times, making the liquid in the glass change colors. Mark liked telling jokes occasionally. He'd been known to try to make the customers laugh while he sold them things. He made Lilliana the most money.

Open it up and find out, Lilliana replied. She smiled at him. She liked Mark. There was something about him that intrigued her.

"What about