Druciela drove into Brightwater Bay and explored the streets. The town wasn’t all that different than the town she grew up in. Only one problem. Everything seemed faded. The trees weren’t very green, the sky seemed almost gray even though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The paint on the walls even seemed dull.
The farther she drove, the more her skin crawled, and the urge to leave grew. Still, the stakes were too high. If she didn’t find proof of who the doppelgangers were, they were all in danger. Especially Mark. And he didn’t deserve to go through that hell once again.
Besides, she owed Mark after the way she acted when he first came to Edenton. She’d been such a fool, disgusted by a witch who shunned what he was. How wrong she’d been. His skin was gray and wrinkled, his eyes colorless. Not to mention his flesh clung to his bones. He looked like a severely aged Mark.
He didn’t gain his color back, height, or strength until months after Slater changed him. He worked hard to get where he was, and she couldn’t fault him after learning the whole story. There was one other witch in Edenton who did. Josh, who had been been at Slater’s when Mark first arrived.
Within a week he had started to fill in and his color came back. But she didn’t realize that until much later. After he became an enforcer, and she realized she had been an asshole. All because she relied on her magic and didn’t know what she would do without it.
Mark had relied on his instincts, his smarts, and he had been extremely intelligent. He didn’t want the magic because he believed it was the reason he had fallen so low. He gave it up to save his life and prevent it from happening again.
Some people were meant to be something other than what they were born. He was one of those people.
Now, Druciela planned to prove she accepted him, and she would fight for him and his choices.
Setting all that aside, she focused on her task. To scope out a house for sale and see if she could find a number to call for a real estate agent. According to her daughter, Dacia, who happened to be in real estate, they wouldn’t need to know where she lived to show her the house.
Although, in a community of all witches, they probably did. Edenton was different, they accepted everyone, but Dacia never grew up in such a place.
She gripped the wheel tighter as she found a home for sale. A cute house. Only big enough for one or two bedrooms with flowers in the yard. She parked on the street and took the flyer from the stand.
Thankfully she found the number and moved back to the car. Cora Dalane was listed as the contact. At least it wasn’t Kindra. She wasn’t sure she could keep a straight face while attempting to talk to the woman who nearly destroyed a fellow witch. One she was married to.
Cora answered after a few rings. “This is Brightwater Real Estate. How can I help you?”
“Yes, I’m looking for Cora Dalane.”
“That’s me.”
“The house on 4220 Canyon Drive. Is it still for sale?”
“Yes, ma’am, it is. If you come by my office, we could discuss it.”
“I’m actually at the property. I was hoping we could look at it.”
“I can be there in ten minutes.”
“Thank you, I would so appreciate it.” She hung up and dialed Robert.
He answered after a couple rings. “I’m about to meet the local real estate agent. Cora Dalane.”
“Wait, talk to Mark.”
“What?” she asked, but he was already gone.
Mark came on. “Hey, Druciela, what’s going on?”
“I’m about to meet the real estate agent. Cora Dalane.”
“Oh, please, if she’s still a witch, tell her you know me, see if you can get information out of her. Maybe this will all go faster.”
“Maybe I can convince her to come with me when I leave.”
“Yeah. Her husband was taken over by one of those things. Unless she’s changed her mind, she wasn’t happy with the doppelganger. Which means she might help.”
“Good to know. She sounded worried when I said I wanted to meet her. I have her coming to the house as opposed to her office.”
“I have no idea who works there now. It’s probably for the best if she comes alone. Otherwise, she may not talk.”
“I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Thank you. Good luck.”
Robert came on. “If you do get her out of there, call me. I’ll pick you guys up and bring you back faster if she’ll come along. Or tell me where, and I can take you from the house.”
“We’ll figure it out. Call if you need me.” He hung up.
A woman with dark hair pulled in. There were dark circles under her eyes, though she forced a smile. Druciela felt the weight Cora carried. Was that what the doppelgangers were doing? Draining the land and people?
The woman crossed the distance and held out her hand. “Afternoon.”
They shook and Druciela pushed healing energy at Cora. “Hello, I’m Druciela Blacktree. It’s a pleasure.”
Magic rolled up Druciela’s arm. It was dampened somehow. Druciela had to wonder if everyone and everything in the town was muted by the doppelgangers.
“The pleasure is mine, I’m sure.” Though she didn’t look happy to be there. “Please, come inside.” She looked around and shuddered.
Druciela made her way to the door and waited for Cora to unlock it. She stepped inside and Druciela followed.
Cora let out a breath. “I’m sorry, you don’t want to live here. We’re dying, and no one wants to believe me. You would just fade away like everything in this town.”
She let her instinct guide her in the answer. “I know. I’m not here about the house. I’m here to help all of you,” Druciela said. “Do you know a man named Anders Woeller?”
Cora turned and walked away.
Druciela continued, “I don’t mean the creature that took on his form. I mean the man himself.”
Pausing, Cora glanced over her shoulder. “You know of the little people?”
She nodded. “They have another name. And I know what they’re doing. Anders escaped. He’s a werewolf now, but we need your help to stop the doppelgangers.”
She nodded slowly. “I’m willing to do anything and everything I can. But if I leave, they’re going to know. They’ll come after me.”
“Sure, but I know someone who can translocate here and take us somewhere safe. And if they do somehow find us, we’ll stop them faster.”
Cora rubbed at her face. “Okay, yeah, something needs to happen.”
“Tell me you trust mages.”
Her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
“I’m telling you as a fellow witch that these people can be trusted.”
“Anders is there?”
Druciela nodded. “But he goes by Mark now. He left that life behind. He built a new one for himself.”
“Why?” Cora asked, tears filling her eyes.
Druciela touched Cora’s shoulder. “He would have died. Don’t make the mistake I did and call him out for doing the one thing that saved his life.”
“I wouldn’t. In fact, I’m glad you warned me. I’m just wrapping my head around him surviving. He was close to death last I saw him.”
“He’s very healthy now.”
Cora nodded slowly. “If they can get me out of here, I’ll help any way I can,” Cora promised.
Druciela took her phone out and dialed Robert. He answered quickly. “Everything okay?”
“Can you pick us up?”
“What’s the address?” Robert asked.
She gave it and hung up.
Robert appeared beside them. He touched her and Cora, then they were in his home.
Mark closed the distance and wrapped his hands around Cora’s shoulders with a sad smile. “I’m so glad you’re alive.”
Druciela smiled as she walked away and took a seat.
* * * *
Mark couldn’t believe he was looking at Cora after all that time. Other than looking tired, she seemed all right.
Cora hugged him and sniffled. “I thought you were dead. No one believed me. I tried leaving, but the beast who took over Daniel wouldn’t let me go.”
“Did he force you into anything?”
“Only pretending I loved him in front of others.”
Mark pushed her back, staring into her eyes.
“In the beginning, he tried to sway me. He tried to seduce me for a while but gave up. He nearly lost his dick the one time he attempted to force me,” Cora sneered the last.
“Oh, I like her,” Druciela said.
Preston snorted. “Yeah, sounds like she made a tough situation workable.”
“I told Druciela she didn’t want to move in. Everyone is…fading.” She let out a breath, looking at Druciela, clearly nervous.
“The first words out of her mouth were, you don’t want to move here,” Druciela answered. “She wants to help.”
Mark turned back to Cora. “Hey, relax. Okay. These are friends. Druciela is a witch.” He pointed to Robert. “That’s Robert McCallister, the magister of the Silver Council. This is Preston Emrys, his lieutenant. Tremaine Gallagher who knows more about this stuff than we do.” He lifted a hand to Morrigan. “This is Morrigan, and she knows even more about the doppelgangers, especially the one who took my place.” He pulled Gina closer. “And this is my mate, Gina. And I’m Mark now. An enforcer for my pack.”
“You always stood for justice. I can see you as an enforcer.” She shook her head. “How are you still alive?”
“Tremaine got me out of there. He was a Silver Council enforcer then. I wasn’t sure what happened to you or anyone else, but they said the coven disappeared. And by the time I thought about coming to check, I chickened out. What would they say about a werewolf claiming to be me?”
“No one but you believed me about Daniel.”
“Because Gerard was trying to fucking take my life away. Of course I believed you and called the Council, and they almost didn’t get there in time.”
“I should have listened to you. Maybe Daniel would still be here. But the mages never help anyone.”
“Not true. Helping Others in these situations is what the enforcers do. They protect Others from things cops can’t. And I guarantee things are better with them now, than even then. You can trust any of the mages Robert introduces you to.”
Cora nodded and finally smiled at Robert. “Can you stop the little people?”
“We will. We need to know who they took over. What’s going on with them. Then we can form a plan,” Robert answered.
“There’s a man who looks like And—Mark there. His name is Gerard. Anthony took over my husband, Daniel. There was another man, Mavis, who took over Lester. Germaine and Liliana were taken over by Gallus and Genova. Something is wrong with every one of us now. The plants are dying, animals are getting sick and disappearing. The color seems to be fading out of everything. Kindra is fading away. She doesn’t realize it. So is the woman who married Mavis, though she thinks it’s Lester.”
Cora shook her head.
“But you’re not?” Mark asked.
“I’m weaker, but I’m not changing like they are. It’s the same fading everything is going through in Brightwater Bay.”
“That means we need to stop them now, before it’s too late.” Morrigan moved closer to Cora and lifted her chin. Then she ran her hand up and down, inches away from her face, chanting something strange.
Dark energy floated off her body, and Morrigan balled it up and breathed fire into the writhing ball. It disappeared.
Cora stumbled back, but she looked younger, stronger, better, all in a matter of seconds. “I can feel the difference.”
“I’ll teach you how to help your fellow witches, if you’re interested,” Morrigan assured.
“I don’t think we can save Kindra,” Cora answered. “Doubt she wants to be saved. She’d let Mark die all over again to keep Gerard.”
Mark shook his head. “I’ve moved on. All I wish for her is a quick death. And some would argue I would want her to suffer, but why waste the time on her?”
She smiled sadly, glancing at Gina, who was growling low in her throat. “I think your mate would prefer she suffered.”
A soft laugh escaped Mark. “And I don’t blame her. Doesn’t change the fact her being dead sooner than later means I can leave all of that in the past.”
“You wouldn’t come back to us?” Cora asked.
“I haven’t been a witch in over fifty years, Cora. You know the coven. They wouldn’t want me now. And I’m happy here.”
“Wish I could have come with you. They dragged me away, though. We hid in Faery for months before going back to our homes. I stayed for our people.”
“Our people let you suffer. They let me die. They couldn’t believe what was happening to me, Daniel, Lilianna, Germaine, or Lester. They let us die.”
“You’re alive,” she countered.
Tremaine cleared his throat. “Only because he was changed to a werewolf before his death. He didn’t have long to live without going dark and draining life force from other casters.”
“I see. I’m sorry.” She stepped back.
Mark groaned. “That doesn’t mean I want them to suffer. I don’t, which is why I want to stop them now. I didn’t know they were back. If I had, I could have done something more, but you were gone, you said so yourself. What was I supposed to do? Keep going back to find you all?” He snorted. “Why?”
“You’re right. They would have taken the imposter’s side. The coven is worse than it was when you were there. With Germaine and Liliana replaced with those things, no one can escape. The few who thought they might move away were forced to stay.”
“You won’t be dragged back from here. I assure you,” Robert promised.
“And I won’t let anything happen to you,” Mark answered. “Do you know anyone who would be willing to help stop them? Anyone who might believe?”
“No one, at least no one willing to trust mages. If anything, what our parents taught us about mages has only worsened within the coven.” Cora took a seat and an unsteady breath. “No one seems to realize how everything is fading in Brightwater Bay, but no one ever leaves anymore. They don’t seem to remember how much more vibrant things are anywhere else.”
Tremaine nodded and rubbed his chin. “Unfortunately, that sounds like all the other cases I’ve found involving doppelgangers. And we need to get those affected by their presence out of there before we kill them, or there is a very real possibility they will all die.”
“And if we all leave?”
“Most of you will survive and can eventually go back, when the land starts to bounce back,” Tremaine answered.
“I’ll see what the Council can do to find a temporary place for you all to move,” Robert added.
“I may have an idea on how to deal with that,” Preston offered.
“Why is everyone so afraid of the Council if you’re all this ready to help?” Cora asked.
Preston rolled his eyes. “A number of reasons, but not everyone is as willing as we are. But that’s changing.”
Cora cleared her throat. “Gerard, the one who took your body, seems to be in the worst shape now. The one who took Daniel’s started to get weak, but he’s not as bad off. The ones who took Germaine and Liliana are fading, but not as bad as Gerard.”
“They were the high priest and priestess,” Mark explained.
“How bad?” Tremaine asked.
“They look twenty years older, almost overnight,” Cora answered.
“They have a month at most left. Let’s hope we can destroy them within the week,” Tremaine answered. “Otherwise, the coven may not survive.”
“What about me?” she whispered.
Tremaine sighed. “Hopefully we’ll stop it early enough.”
Cora gasped, her eyes going wide. “Will I have to become a werewolf?”
Mark walked away with a growl.
“Anders, please, I didn’t mean that,” Cora pleaded.
“Don’t.” Mark turned and met her gaze. “I haven’t been that stupid naïve fool in ages.” He walked back to Cora. “And I’m happy to be a werewolf now. But I do hope we find a way you can keep your magic. I do.” He started for the kitchen.
Cora caught his arm. “I wouldn’t know how to live without magic,” she answered.
“Yeah, I get it. But there are worse things to endure than losing your magic and taking on a beast.”
“You’re right. I saw what happened to you. I thought you were dead for years.”
Gina shook her head. “Kindra knows he’s alive. She saw him at the cafeteria.”
Cora nodded. “We both saw him. She will help Gerard find Mark and try to finish what he started.”
“Not happening,” Tremaine stated.
Preston nodded.
Robert chimed in, “She’s not totally sure what she wants. She’s wavering back and forth. But maybe we can convince Valen to join our cause.”
Cora nodded. “He’ll listen to me. He’s smart. He’s always known there was something wrong with his father. But he’s on vacation, or he was. And Gerard claimed he didn’t want to worry him while Kindra was captured. Really, I think Gerard may have hoped to be rid of her.”
“Why?” Mark asked.
She shook her head. “I have no clue why they do what they do.”
Mark stepped back and wrung his hands. Mark couldn’t be more thankful his son lived, but he was terrified Valen would hate him for what he did. “Do you think Valen will understand about me? About why I haven’t gone to him?”
She nodded. “I just hope we can save him. He’s a good man. And he’s married. They have the potential for such a bright future.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “And he’ll want to save his mother if it’s possible.”
“We can figure that out later, okay?” Mark said.
“You’re still ritually bound to her.”
That cut deep. He held up both hands. “Cora, she chose that thing. She stabbed me. I barely made it out of there. Now, part of her wants to find me for Gerard. I don’t know about you, but nothing she does now can right what she did then.”
“You want to break Valen’s heart after finally meeting him?” she argued.
He snorted. “Who believes Gerard is his father, right?”
“Yes, but—”
Shaking his head, Mark backed away. “Look, if they can be saved, great. They aren’t a part of my life now, except to end the damned threat to you and the rest of the coven, and to me and my home.”
“How can you give up on everything you once knew?”
Mark laughed bitterly. “After the hell you went through, why can’t you?”
Cora blinked and stepped away. “It’s what I know.”
Morrigan answered, “Killing the doppelgangers is the only way to ensure you all live. That may or may not include whoever has started to change.”
Mark let out a breath and looked Cora in the eye. “Do you really think Kindra is worth saving? She did choose one of those bastards over her own kind.”
“She’s been manipulated since the beginning. Maybe Kindra can help us?”
Morrigan glanced down. “There is no guarantee Kindra, or Valen, can be saved. I’m not sure we can trust them.”
Cora glanced down. “I can’t help thinking there must be a way.”
“We’ll do everything we can,” Robert assured. “Our goal is to save as many as we can.”
Mark had to wonder what that meant. On one hand, he didn’t want to care. But he loved her once, and if she had been manipulated, didn’t she deserve a chance? Or would she be stupid and get herself in an even worse situation? He almost laughed. “I can’t think of a worse situation.”
Robert squeezed his shoulder.
Mark asked, “Can we go in, take the doppelgangers out, and deal with them ourselves?”
“We can try,” Robert answered.
Morrigan held up a hand. “They can pull portals open, slip through. Do you have a way to get to them and take them where they can’t escape?”
Tremaine smirked. “Yeah, we have a place that will work. Out of the way, not quite in any realm.”
Morrigan stepped closer to Tremaine. “You’re not afraid of using your magic?”
“I am willing. And Liz may even be willing to help.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Mark said, “what are you talking about?”
One of Morrigan’s eyebrows rose. “You willing to share your secret?”
Tremaine looked at Mark, then Cora. “This doesn’t leave the room.”
Cora nodded, though she looked like she might be sick.
“Never a word out of my mouth,” Mark promised. But he’d seen enough things in Edenton he’d never share that information.
“I’m a Rift Bender. We can create pocket realms, I suppose. That’s where we can trap the doppelgangers. It’s very hard to escape unless you’re one of us, or you have our help,” Tremaine explained.
“I don’t understand,” Cora answered.
“Doesn’t matter. It can be done.” Tremaine lifted a shoulder. “But it’s dangerous, and no one should know what I am, or Liz.”
“Two of you?” Morrigan asked. “You do know that just a couple more of you together and you can destroy the entire dimension?”
“Yeah, I know. She knows. But there are good things we can do too.”
Cora held her hand to her chest like she might feint, or maybe have a coronary.
Gina huffed out a breath. “Relax. Edenton is full of all kinds of Others. We all get along. There are more witches than Druciela.”
“Just no coven,” Druciela tacked on. “We’re independent. No high priest or priestess. No witchy politics. Everyone accepts everyone.” She glanced at Mark.
And strangely, he did feel accepted by Edenton. Even Druciela at the moment. To be fair, he had avoided her over the years, preferring not to be judged for the only realistic option he had. And that was mostly Josh’s reaction that caused his.
Morrigan paced away and came back. “And what if one or more doppelgangers escape with the rest of the witches? And what if the witches protect them? That’s what happened to Badb’s kingdom. No one wanted to believe those who complained their spouse was someone else when they came back from war. Some of them didn’t even realize someone had taken their spouse’s place. Badb found another man in her husband’s place. Some of them were more convincing than others, but she knew the difference, and killed the one who attempted to take her place, and nearly killed another.”
“Why wouldn’t they know?” Cora asked.
“Because they targeted people of power whose spouse was away for war.”
“Where the hell was she from that she went to war and her husband didn’t?” Cora asked.
“Faery. Many, many years ago. Gender means little to the Fae in most cases. Plus, there are many matriarchal groups in Faery,” Morrigan explained.
“And they still didn’t see the difference in their spouses?”
“Some thought they’d grown apart, others liked the changes. So many people want to ignore the danger right in front of them.”
“What happened to her?”
“That’s a complicated story, but all will be well once again. Her kingdom fell. Her people faded away as the doppelgangers took their original form and moved on to the next town. Nothing grows hundreds of years later, nothing lives there.”
Cora flexed her hands. “We have to stop it. What do I do?”
“Tell us what you can about Brightwater Bay,” Preston answered. “About the people there. We’ll do what we can to get everyone out.”