Thirty-One

Iris fell to her knees. The world as she knew it was crumbling into tiny little pieces. Everything had changed. “You’ve got to be freaking kidding me,” she finally said.

Then it dawned on her. The Witch Hunting Book of Stories. The woman, pregnant with Helmer’s son. It was Wava, the witch doctor.

“Wait a minute,” Iris said, standing. “Wava, the other woman, in the story, she’s Arlo’s mom.”

“I wouldn’t call her the other woman. I loved her for a time, and Belinda for a time.”

Iris glared at Helmer. She didn’t appreciate him dodging the question. She didn’t care so much about his love life. She just wanted to know about Arlo.

“And, yes,” Helmer added quickly. “Wava is Arlo’s mom.”

“But I thought the story was like super old,” Iris said, bewildered. “Like, before the curse hit in the 1940s.”

“Well, let’s just say Arlo has been eighteen for quite some time; he just doesn’t remember, thanks to my spells. I’ve also made him a part of multiple families throughout the years. He has no clue.”

Iris walked back into the kitchen and stood in front of Helmer, staring into his hazel eyes. He looked different to her now that she knew he was Arlo’s father.

“So Arlo’s a warlock, then?” Iris could feel her heart thrumming like the wings of a hummingbird. The anticipation was killing her.

“Not quite.” Helmer’s voice dropped.” Arlo is neither human, nor warlock, nor Hunter. He’s a species all his own and so is his mother.”

“Okay.” Iris laughed. “Now you’re just saying things to piss me off. What is he, some sort of alien?” she said with contempt.

“No.” His eyes narrowed. “He’s a Lixi. A rare species who descended from a magical Roma tribe. Lixi’s can borrow powers and spells from supernatural beings and even the hunting gene for a period of time.”

Iris was pacing again. She’d never heard of a Lixi before. Vampires, werewolves, fairies, and ghosts, of course. But a Lixi? Never.

“This is why Belinda’s powers are amplified,” Helmer continued. “It’s because of what Arlo is.”

“What do you mean?” Iris pondered.

“Right before a Lixi borrows someone’s magic, their powers are amplified. And then once they take these abilities, whoever they are taking from becomes temporarily weakened. His mother is also a Lixi who steals from witches and poses as one herself. Her knowledge of spells is why they call her the witch doctor and why many witches seek her guidance.”

“Does Arlo even know what he is or what he’s doing?” she asked with a sharp tongue.

“No.” Helmer’s face softened. “Wava and I wanted him to live a normal life but I’ve been using youth spells to keep him young, and erasing his memory. After your father got ahold of me, I was ordered to make Arlo absorb the Hunter gene, taken from a Hunter in San Francisco, so he could be recruited on your team. That’s why, for the most part, he was okay with joining your world. I also put in his mind to borrow Belinda’s powers once he gets to Wava’s, which is why he is subconsciously amplifying her powers. He’s getting ready to take her magic and he doesn’t even know it.”

“So my dad knew Arlo was a Lixi?”

“There are only a handful of us who know Lixis exist; your dad is one of them.” Helmer paused. “Would you mind if I made some more tea now?”

“No. Not at all,” she said snidely. Iris wasn’t sure what to make of Helmer. A big, strong, handsome warlock, who appeared to love his tea more than anything else. He was somewhat aloof and seemed a bit too relaxed, considering how high the stakes were. No one should be this calm in the middle of a storm.

Iris took a seat again at the table and Helmer walked toward the stove, heating more water and grabbing more tea bags. Minutes later Iris could smell hints of citrus and pepper. She’d never liked the scent of Early Grey tea.

Helmer sat beside Iris, noshing on scones while he savored his drink.

“This all must be rather strange for you, and I apologize for that.” Helmer said. His voice sounded sincere.

But “strange” didn’t begin to cover it, and Iris didn’t even know where to go from here. “So what does my dad want with Arlo anyway?”

Helmer cleared his throat and patted his lips with a silk napkin. “He wants to use Wava and Arlo to take Belinda’s powers. When she’s at her weakest, he’s going to kill her, making himself a legend in the process.”

“So let me get this straight.” Iris leaned in closer. “You’re helping my dad to kill Belinda by putting Arlo in danger?”

The warlock was silent.

“How could you let him use your son?” Iris spat, her face bright as scarlet. Without hesitation, she grabbed Helmer’s throat and squeezed it hard. It was an instinct. Sure, Helmer could kill her by snapping his finger, but Iris didn’t care. She was angry at him for putting Arlo in harm’s way.

“Iris,” he choked through her hold. “I don’t want to have to hurt you.”

“How about I kill you,” she said, squinting her eyes and squeezing harder. Her lip started to quiver. She knew she was taking her anger out on the wrong person but in the moment, she didn’t want to stop. Iris closed her eyes and finally released her grip. Helmer gasped.

“You think I wanted to do this?” he said, catching his breath and rubbing his throat. “I didn't have a choice. It was either have my coven massacred, or do what your father ordered. And if I didn’t help, he would kill Arlo anyway. My only hope was that you would keep him safe.”

Iris jumped. “Me?” She pointed to herself. “Why me?”

Helmer grabbed her hand and held it close to his chest. She could feel the strength beating from his heart. “Iris, I knew you would help him. Want to protect him. Keep him under your wing.” He smiled. “And you did.”

“Yeah. But now he’s on his way to freaking Wava’s house!” Iris huffed, slumping her shoulders. “If my dad is planning on killing Belinda there, Arlo is so not safe.” Iris kicked her foot against the leg of the table. She felt like a failure.

“Iris, you can still stop them. And you need to. I’ve seen the future and the outcome is bleak.”

“What?”

Helmer slowly put down his teacup. His eyes were heavy with sorrow. He opened his mouth but the words died on his lips. He tried again and barely managed to say, “We’re all dead.”