Blood Sisters: The Last Mage IV: The Last Mage, #4

By Jeff Brown

Nearly two years following the conclusion of "Dawn of Night," Carter Nash, the Last Mage, is now faced with an even greater challenge. While the love of his life, Sara Berkley, has gained the Power and become a Mage, new sources of the Power appear in the small town of McLain, Mississippi where he resides. One source of the Power remains hidden from him while a group of five high school girls become Blood Sisters and are controlled by the return of a different power that holds a grudge against the Mage. He has to find both sources before they combine to destroy him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeff Brown
• Release date: Sep 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201080747

Jeff Brown

Jeff Brown is the author of more than 40 works of fiction. Based in the Deep South, his stories all have a connection to the area.

Book preview

Blood Sisters

CHAPTER ONE

The old house sat amidst the pine and oak trees growing wild on the outskirts of McLain, Mississippi. It had been abandoned nearly two years earlier and the lack of inhabitants showed. The roof wasn’t in great shape, the drastic changes in seasons having taken its toll on the wooden shingles that had been in place for the better part of three decades. The grass in front of and around the house had grown to the height of the low porch across its front, less than six inches above the ground, and the support poles at the corners that held that portion of the roof began to sag, bent with age, exposure, and neglect. The front door, once covered by a rusty screen door, now sat exposed to the elements as that screen door lay flat on the porch like a vicious welcome mat. The few windows along the front were covered with layer upon layer of dirt and creeping mold. One of those windows had shattered, crashing inward, and left the kitchen, exposed to the elements as well.

The sun began to set, casting the fading light of the day along the narrow gravel road that led from the house to the highway that led out of town to the east. The dim shafts of golden light filtering through the trees lining the road were disturbed by the passage of a small, dark car as it rolled slowly along the road toward the house. The road came to an end not much past the house, vanishing into the dense foliage beyond it and becoming little more than a simple path.

The black Honda moved slowly along the road, windows rolled up, and the only sound other than the light thrum of its small engine was the sound of its tires crunching over the gravel. The natural sounds, birds and insects, were nonexistent, as if they’d all fled the area long ago and now avoided it. Of course, the occupants of the car had no idea about that.

The driver, Elise Hightower, kept her pale green eyes, almost luminescent orbs of milky jade, focused on the house. Her long, jet black hair, hung loosely around her shoulder and down her back, halfway to her waist. She gripped the steering wheel loosely in her left hand as her right rested on her lean, deeply tanned thigh near the hem of the tight, hot pink shorts she wore below a loose-fitting glaring white tank top. The dark sunglasses she’d worn throughout most of the day had been pushed up, pushing her hair up to reveal more of her smooth forehead, equally tanned as her legs. Tiny indentations remained on her regal nose from having worn the glasses so long, but she didn’t notice. Her rather small lips, pursed naturally into a nearly perfect cupid’s bow, remained pressed together as she continued to focus her gaze on the house.

She knew the rumors, had heard them for several years, and wasn’t sure she believed them, at least not all of them. For several years, she’d been told stories of the McLain witch, a woman named Ramona, that lived in an old shack on the edge of town. Those stories included a number of things that Elise thought were pure fiction, taking from some fairy tale or old horror story. She did think there was some truth to it, especially after having heard about the Mage that lived in town and supposedly saved the town from total destruction at least twice. She reasoned that if he existed, it was highly likely that the witch existed. Lately, though, the rumors, what few she heard, indicated that the witch had been killed and no one had moved in to take her place.

Elise hoped that something remained in the old cabin that would tell the truth about her and possibly give Elise and her friends something to help them accomplish their goal.

Elise was seventeen, going into her senior year at McLain High School, and she wanted it to be her best year yet. She felt that the magic this witch supposedly possessed would be just the thing to give her group of friends an advantage over the really popular kids. They’d been pushed out of things, out of positions within the school’s societal structure, to allow that other group, the ones seen as the true in crowd, to effectively take control of the school. Elise knew it was time for their reign to end. She just hoped there was something in the old house that would help them achieve that goal.

Seated beside her, leaning back in the leather-covered seat, was the youngest member of the group, Brittany Giles. She was the lone sophomore of the group and, if things went as Elise planned, would be the successor to her leadership role once the three seniors graduated. Brittany was also the tallest of the group and a bit larger than the others, though not so large as to draw attention and bullying comments. Her dark hair, tinted with hints of deep purple here and there, hung almost to her waist and belied her innate sense of self and individuality. She was definitely an individual and was often seen as the oddball of the group, but she was one of them and that was all that mattered. She was the only one of the five that wore glasses and the only one that wore jeans and a normal t-shirt. Brittany was a little embarrassed about her size and the paleness of her skin. She didn’t spend much time outdoors, instead remaining inside to read or watch TV. It was her quirkiness that first brought her to Elise’s attention and her clever mind made her an integral part of the group and the perfect successor.

In the backseat, the group’s only junior, Fran Guidry, sat sandwiched between the other two seniors, Nyla Parker and Jordan Miller. Fran was nearly as tall as Brittany with slightly shorter matte black hair and large, blue eyes that could appear warm and inviting or cold and calculating. Her dark complexion frequently darkened in the sun and, while just a bit more voluptuous than the others, she didn’t mind showing a little skin. She was clad in a pair of dark gray shorts and a matching tank top that hung a bit more loosely than the one Elise wore. Elise thought the girl was absolutely gorgeous and only her connection with that group kept her from being among the most popular girls in school.

Nyla and Jordan were roughly the same height, an inch or so shorter than Elise. Jordan was a bit thinner than Nyla with long, perfectly straight light red hair, a shade darker than being called strawberry blond, and a narrow face that held full lips and wide, green eyes. Nyla’s hair, a vibrant light brown, was a mass of thick curls that hung around her shoulders like a cloud. Her eyes, a deep hazel, were a bit narrower set in an almost triangular face that Elise thought was just exquisite. They were both clad in shorts, though Jordan preferred cutoff blue jeans where Nyla wore lighter colored polyester shorts, dark blue, that showed off her smooth legs.

They’d been quiet since leaving Jordan’s home on the south side of town, listening to the local radio station that Elise found a bit irritating. It had begun as a standard rock and roll station less than a decade earlier, but had become a country station. She didn’t mind country music, but she preferred it in small doses and only those artists that she liked. Nyla was the one that liked the station and requested it once she’d entered the vehicle. Nyla was Elise’s best friend and she didn’t think it would hurt too much to accommodate her that one time. Still, she found the music a bit painful and was glad to finally shut off the engine and end the constant, tinny screeching of the radio.

Once the engine stopped, with the car pulled to the side of the narrow road away from the old house, the doors opened and the girls climbed out slowly, almost tiredly, though none of them had done much that day that would’ve sapped their youthful energy. Elise made sure she had the keys and stuffed them into the pocket of her shorts, shaking her head slightly as the rough edges scraped against her skin through the thin lining of the pocket.

What are we doing here? Brittany asked, looking over the top of the car after she’d closed the door.

Elise looked at her and smiled wickedly, I have a plan.

What plan?  Jordan asked, moving a little closer.

Elise held her arm out toward the house and asked, Don’t you guys know what this is?

Not a clue, Fran said, moving up behind Jordan.

Yeah, Nyla added. It’s some creepy old house and you’re going to mutilate all of us.

Not quite, Elise said and turned to face the house. This is the house of the McLain witch, Ramona Barlow.

"Are you serious?’ Brittany asked as she walked quickly around the front of the car.

Oh, yeah, Elise nodded and glanced over her shoulder. I don’t know what she did or how she did it, but I want to find out.

Jordan moved up beside Elise, on her left, and frowned as she asked, Are you seriously wanting to go in there?

Hell, yeah, Elise snapped her head to the left, almost glaring at Jordan. I’m going to find out what she could do and make it work for us. We’re not going to let those uppity bitches run the school anymore.

Fine, Brittany said and stepped forward. Let’s just get it over with.

She started toward the front door and Elise could only follow. Reluctantly, the other three did the same.

The interior of the house was darker than Elise had expected. The grime covering the old windows diluted the fading sunlight and cast the interior into near darkness, a maze of shadows. They moved slowly through the small living room and checked out the single bedroom and bath at the back of the house. There was another room, barely more than a closet, at the back of the kitchen where Elise found what she was looking for.

The room felt almost claustrophobic, but it held a number of things that Elise found quite interesting. She started thinking of it as a witch’s closet, but it was more like a meditation chamber or private altar. A small table rested against the wall opposite the single door and atop it was what Elise had hoped to find, a book that she thought would hold the secrets to Ramona’s magical ability. She looked around at the other items in the room for anything else that might be useful, but she didn’t think the old, half-melted candles or massive collection of empty bottles and jars would be of any use. With that, she picked up the old, dusty, leatherbound book with both hands. As she lifted it from the small table, a shiver ran through her as if a gust of cold air had washed over her. A tingling sensation shot through her fingers as they closed on the book, but both feelings vanished after a second. Elise didn’t think anything else of it.

Without a word, she cradled the book against her chest and walked quickly through the kitchen and living room then moved outside. She stepped off the porch and sat down in the tall grass cross-legged with the book in her lap. As she slowly and carefully opened the book, the others gathered around in the fading light and sat in a circle facing her. Nyla sat to her right, fairly close, and looked at the yellowed pages of the book as Elise slowly turned them. the writing in the book was faded, so much that Nyla couldn’t make out any of it and she didn’t want to lean in too close. Elise had that look on her face that told Nyla she wanted no interference.

Jordan, the other senior, sat on her left, but she didn’t pay too much attention to the book. She was waiting for Elise to finish whatever she was doing and they could get out of there. It was starting to get dark and she didn’t really like the idea of being out in the woods, in an area she wasn’t familiar with, after dark. Of course, she knew the others would look out for her, but she still didn’t like the idea. She hoped Elise would find what she wanted and they could move on quickly.

After just a couple of minutes, Elise looked up, glancing around the group with a broad smile on her face, and said, This is it. This is what we need.

"What is it?’ Nyla asked, trying not to sound too anxious.

Elise placed her right hand flat on the open book and said, This is how we get past those snobs. It’s going to take a little work and you won’t like it, but it’ll be over pretty quick and we can get out of here.

What do we have to do? Fran asked, seated almost directly in front of Elise.

Elise sat up and said, You know the old thing with boys becoming blood brothers?

Yeah, Fran nodded.

We have to do the same thing, Elise answered. We have to become blood sisters.

Oh, boy, Brittany said and shook her head.

Yeah, Elise nodded. We’ll have to bleed a little, but not too much. The big deal is that we have to do it in water and we have to be naked.

Uh-uh, Brittany shook her head a little more forcefully. I don’t really want to run around naked.

Elise smirked, It’s just skinny dipping. We’ve all done that.

Yeah, Fran said and looked at Brittany. It’s fun.

Look, Elise said and closed the book. There’s a pond not far from here, at least from what I’ve heard. It’s isolated. The stories say that Ramona was always running around naked. No one ever saw her out here. Let’s go down there, get in the water, and get this done. Then we’ll be all set.

Fine, Brittany grumbled, knowing the look in Elise’s eye that told everyone she wasn’t going to change her mind.

There were no other comments or complaints. They just stood up and followed her away from the house. She walked confidently and as quickly as ever. She didn’t know where the information came from, but she now knew where the pond was located. She could almost smell the water and that led them unerringly to it. The pond was definitely secluded, surrounded on all sides by thick bushes and closely spaced trees. Only a small path, the extension of the narrow road, led them to it and they were surprised she’d led them there so quickly and without getting them lost.

Once they stood at the shore, Elise looked at Nyla and said, I know you have that knife with you.

Yeah, Nyla nodded and reached to a back pocket of her shorts. I don’t go anywhere without it.

Good, Elise said and placed the book carefully on the ground. Now let’s get naked.

The others shook their heads, but they followed suit when Elise started removing her clothes. Within moments, they all stood naked in a line at the edge of the pond. Brittany held her hands together in front of her and tried her best to use her arms to cover her breasts while the others stood almost proudly. Nyla held the knife in one hand then handed it to Elise.

Let’s get this over with, Nyla said. I’m not real comfortable hanging out with a bunch of naked chicks.

Too bad we don’t have any guys around, Fran added, smirking.

Okay, Elise said. I don’t think we need to go under or anything, just wade out a little bit and form a circle.

She took the first step and the others followed slowly. She continued forward, taking each step across the muddy bottom carefully, not wanting to suddenly step off a ledge or slip on the slick bottom. After a few steps, when the water was up to mid-thigh, Elise stopped and turned around. The others gathered around, Brittany still trying to cover up.

Okay, Elise said. Hold out your left hands.

When they did, she unfolded the knife and started with her own. She made a small gash across the palm, just deep enough for a little blood to well up. She then moved to Nyla, Fran, Brittany, and finally Jordan. Once they were all bleeding slightly, Elise moved a little closer to the center of the circle and said, Now, our blood has to mingle, like this.

She faced Nyla and placed her left palm atop Nyla’s open hand. She held it for a second then moved on to Fran. Once Elise moved on to Brittany, Nyla repeated the process with Fran. In just a few moments, they had all touched the palms of all the others. Their blood had mingled just enough.

Finally, Elise smiled and said, Now, we’re blood sisters. Let’s get out of here and see what happens next.

CHAPTER TWO

T here’s something really weird about this town, Spencer James said as he paced back and forth along the sidewalk at the corner of Main and Broad Streets with a lit cigarette held between two fingers of his right hand, its glowing tip creating a faint orange arc in the still, hot air of the early August night, dressed in tan corduroy pants and a short-sleeved cream-colored shirt.

What do you mean? Jason Tanner, taller and leaner, asked from his seat on the plastic bench that resembled one at a bus stop, but there were no buses in the town of McLain and the bench only served as advertising for a local lawyer.

Spencer stopped, his slicked back dark blond hair not moving at all as he spun to face the slightly younger guy with longer, dark brown hair. His pale blue eyes, enlarged by thick lenses of plastic-framed glasses, were narrowed slightly with the intensity of his speech. His narrow, sharp-featured face seemed ill-proportioned to those glasses and his thin lips were twisted into a sarcastic smirk.

He took a quick drag from the cigarette and blew out the smoke then said, Look, I’ve been around here for several years and a lot of stuff just doesn’t add up. I mean, we’ve got some really strange shit happening. And the rumors. Have you heard any of the rumors?

Jason shook his head, frowning slightly and his bright hazel eyes narrowed just a bit.

No, he said. But I’ve only been here a few days. I don’t know anything.

Okay, Spencer said, nodding sharply, and resumed pacing.

His back was bent slightly, the result of having spent hours every day over a desk or drawing board. It had become part of him and he rarely ever noticed it.

It’s like this, he continued. A few years ago, there were a bunch of strange deaths with no cause ever revealed to the public. I don’t know exactly what happened, but the rumors are that one person was somehow involved with all of it, a guy named Carter Nash.

Carter Nash? Jason asked, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Who’s he?

Spencer nodded and took another drag, tapping the ash from the tip, He’s the owner of the bookstore over on Front Street. He owns a number of businesses in this town, but he didn’t when all of that went down. I think it has something to do with all that, but I’m not real sure. I’ve heard that he’s supposed to be some sort of wizard or something. I don’t know. A reporter at the newspaper interviewed him and she said he’s powerful guy and can do some incredible stuff. There was another incident about a year and a half ago that she said wasn’t quite suitable for publication and no one would believe it. I never got the chance to get the details from her. She took another job and moved away before I could. The rumors kind of suggest there was a lot of stuff going on, witches and vampires and all sorts of stuff. I don’t’ know, but it sort of fits with all the other weird stuff going on.

Like what? Jason asked, looking up, intrigued.

Spencer shrugged and continued pacing as he said, Well, there’s the church issue.

Jason didn’t ask, just shrugged and Spencer kept talking, I mean, this little town has a population of about fifteen thousand, in and around the actual town, and almost a hundred churches. I know a lot of people that don’t go to church, close to half the population. So, if half the people never go to church and, considering this town isn’t exactly a have for the rich, it doesn’t make any sense for that many churches to stay afloat. I could see maybe half that number, but not all of them.

Yeah, Jason agreed with a nod. I see what you’re saying. There might be an answer, but I don’t know enough about the town, or whatever, to think of it.

Right, Spencer nodded. But there is one church that really stands out. It’s a small, new church just outside of town. They’re a bunch of wackos and think they’re better than everyone else, like they’ll be the only ones getting into heaven. They like to protest just about anything. They’ve protested businesses and other churches, even school events and local parades, crazy shit.

What’s the name of the church? Jason asked. I’ll be sure to steer clear.

Spencer nodded and said, It’s the Faith Apostolic Fellowship, but they like to refer to themselves as The Apostles.

Jason shook his head, Yeah, I think that’s one to avoid.

You’re right, Spencer nodded, took another drag from the cigarette, and tossed it into the street. But look, it’s late. I need to hit the bed so I can get up and go to work in the morning. And you have your illustrious first day at McLain High. You’ll really need some rest.

Jason shook his head and stood up slowly, This really sucks, you know? It’s my senior year and I should’ve stayed in Colorado with my friends. I don’t know anyone here, other than you, and it’s going to be horrible. I doubt I’ll make many friends in less than a year, if any at all. I’d better get used to spending time by myself.

Spencer shrugged and shook his head, Then maybe you ought to visit that bookstore. You’ll probably do a lot of reading.

Right, Jason shook his head and drew in a long breath. But for now, I’m just going to wander around a little then head home.

I’m just going to head home, Spencer said and took a step away from Main Street. I guess you’ll be back out tomorrow night.

Most likely, Jason said with another shrug.

Then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow night, Spencer said and continued walking. Just have fun.

Before Jason could respond, Spencer walked away and didn’t look back.

Jason stood there a moment longer, dressed in old jeans and a faded light blue t-shirt that bore the logo of a movie he’d seen a few years earlier, a horror movie that he adored while his father hated. But that wasn’t his concern at the moment, it was the feeling of loneliness, being isolated, and the almost overwhelming fear that he would always be that way.

He turned away once Spencer was out of sight and looked around. The town wasn’t much, but it was his new home, at least for the next year. It was going to be rough and it was disheartening to think that he would have to go through the process of meeting and getting to know people again. His old friends, people he’d practically grown up with, were no longer in his life and, though he might be able to maintain contact with a few of them, he would have to move on and make the best of it.

The night was his, though. He wanted to learn the layout of the town and could best do that with no one else around, no locals to get in his way or give him the strange looks that he’d received on his first day. The people he’d encountered seemed to be leery of anyone they’d never seen before and he definitely fit that bill. He was an outsider and felt he always would be. \

Graduation was roughly nine months away and, as soon after that as possible, he would begin his college career, hopefully returning to Colorado and the college his friends planned to attend. He just hoped they would still be his friends after a full year apart.

He’d always had trouble sleeping, but it became worse with the change in location. Not yet accustomed to the atmosphere of the deep south, the heat and humidity added an intensity to his insomnia, and tossing and turning in bed didn’t help. With his father working the graveyard shift at the plant where he’d found a job, Jason was left on his own for the night and he decided that would be the best time for him to learn the town.

He’d already explored the area between the downtown area and the high school. That had been his first destination, wanting to know how to get there and the easiest route for his daily walk. He’d taken the time to look around the campus, the single, blond brick building that took left to explore more of the town.

He’d gone in a different direction each week, carefully avoiding the downtown area to save it for last. It was the closest point to the old house his father had purchased and he wanted to explore the town and work his way back home, though he did have to walk through at least a small portion of the area to get to the rest of the town.

That night, the last night before his first day of school, he decided it was time to finally explore that part of the town. With Spencer mentioning the bookstore, something he hadn’t heard of before, he was anxious to check it out.

Jason had often thought about writing as a career. He’d been involved with the school newspaper at his old school and had signed up for the Journalism class offered at McLain High, but he wanted more than that. He just wasn’t sure yet which direction he wanted to go with the idea of being a writer. He did read a great deal, even more since his arrival in McLain, and his personal library was minimal. He frequently used the public library, which he had already visited and made arrangements to receive his library card, but he liked having books of his own. He had read books over and over, considering it reconnecting with old friends and the cast of characters to be his group of friends, even the villains. But the idea of a bookstore in a town the size of McLain intrigued him and was something he would definitely check out.

A couple of moments after Spencer vanished into the night, Jason turned around and started his exploration of downtown McLain. He started with Main Street, the two-block area that held a majority of the local businesses that remained in operation. Walking slowly, he took in the businesses lining the street. He didn’t know anything at all about the town’s history, other than the little bit Spencer had given him, but the downtown area just looked old and some of the markings on the buildings suggested that those structures had contained a number of businesses over the years. That late, close to midnight, the only place open was the clinic roughly halfway along the block on his left. He did know about that; the real estate agent having mentioned that it was a much better place to go than the decrepit hospital on the other side of town. Thankfully, nothing had happened that required such a visit and he wasn’t in the mood to stop in and check it out that night. He was more interested in the bookstore, though he knew it would be closed and he would have to wait until at least the following afternoon before visiting it.

As he neared the end of the block, he began to actually feel tired, like he could just go home and go to sleep. He would need as much as he could get to prepare for the stress he was sure the next day would bring him.

He crossed the wide street before reaching the sporting goods store on the corner and walked past the vacant building that had once held a restaurant that was primarily used for banquets and such while across the side street was a bar called Chills. He wasn’t yet old enough to get in, but it looked like a fairly decent place. There weren’t too many cars parked in front of it, but the lights were on and the neon marquee above the entrance was lit, casting a bit of bright blue light onto the sidewalk in front of it. Shaking his head at the idea of being too young to even enter the building, he stayed on the other side of the street and continued walking toward the next corner, the intersection with Canal Street and the high bridge spanning the railroad tracks that bisected the town. The house his father had purchased was on the other side, a couple of blocks from the bridge. It would only take him a few minutes to walk there, but he kept his pace slow, not wanting to return to that empty house too early.

The steep hill