Katherine clung to Max's neck being extra careful not to touch his skin as she buried her face in his wool coat. The scent of pine and campfire invaded her nose reminding her of her little cabin in the forest. He carried her down the boisterous street towards the address her mother had given her for the shop where the package was being held. She could feel the warmth on her cheeks from the humiliation she felt from being carried like a child, but somehow the situation didn't make her feel as uncomfortable as she thought it would.
Katherine gave her head a little shake as if to erase the thoughts from her mind, this man was unpredictable and bothersome who knows what kind of hidden agenda he had she couldn't afford to get comfortable around him. She pulled her head away from Max's coat to sneak a peek behind them, but she instantly regretted it seeing the people on the sidewalks stare as they walked by whispering to one another. Katherine's stomach flipped, the static feeling in her legs returned along with the urge to flee, to run in any direction as far as she could from people and the blinking lights. Her heart rate spiked, her nails dug into the shoulder of Max's coat and the grip he had on her tightened as if he knew she would leap from his arms at any given second.
"I've never met a witch that was afraid of humans," Max teased as he continued to carry her through the crowd of people.
Katherine frowned at his words as she sunk her head back down to rest her ear on his chest, "I'm not scared, I've just never seen so many in one place," she grumbled. She was more so bothered by all of the lights and sounds around them, it was the complete opposite of Seabright which was peaceful and much more relaxing. Katherine closed her eyes, trying her hardest to filter out the sounds of cars and people around them.
Katherine's eyes closed as the sounds around her faded slowly until all she could hear was the sound of her own heart beating steadily in her chest. The silence calmed her down as a small shiver was sent down her body, she tried to sink deeper into Max's coat for warmth but it was replaced by what felt like cold stone. Her eyes flew open, greeted by the face of a stone statue of a woman looking down on to Katherine who was cradled in the statues arms like an infant.
As Katherine turned her head she noticed a dense fog that swirled around her and the statue, the faint outlines of gravestones became more prominent around them as the fog lightened up. She stepped out of the centerpiece statue's arms on to the cobbled cemetery path, her chest tightened as her heart beat picked up with the realization of where she was. This was the same cemetery she had woken up in after she was stabbed by the hooded figure in her cabin.
The clicking of heels echoed out as the silhouette of a woman appeared through the fog. Katherine's knees grew weak as Death tore through the fog with her long legged strides, gone was her fur coat and cane giving her a more relaxed appearance in her white pant suit. As Death reached the centerpiece statue Katherine noticed the swinging pocket watch in Death's translucent hands. Katherine stepped back as Death continued to stalk forward closer and closer causing Katherine to stumble backward onto the feet of the statue. Katherine could hear her heart beating loudly in her ears as her chest heaved with ragged breath in fear.
Death crouch down on her knees in front Katherine, the stench of honeysuckle and vanilla wafted around them causing Katherine's eyes to water as she wrinkled her nose at the overwhelming aroma. Katherine blinked several times to adjust her eyes when she noticed Death's translucent face waver between skin and bone. Death twisted her mouth and narrowed her eyes like she was in pain, she held up the pocket watch with a trembling hand for Katherine to see the hands spinning around the face switching from clockwise to counterclockwise at random.
Katherine's eyes darted back and forth between the pocket watch and Death who peered down as if awaiting an explanation. She didn't even know how she got back to the cemetery, unless Max crushed her to death in his arms, which Katherine wasn't ruling out, but it seemed unlikely given all the trouble he went through to keep her alive.
"You were not supposed to leave the realm between realms, Katherine" Death scolded as she shook the pocket watch in front of Katherine's face as if whatever was wrong with it was her fault.
Katherine tilted her head to the side in confusion, the realm between realms? Did she mean the human realm or The Valley? Katherine could tell Death disapproved of her lack of response by the glint of anger in her eye. Death raised her free hand grabbing hold of Katherine's coat to bring their faces closer together.
"You and your sisters are nothing more than insolent children doing as they please!" Death spat in Katherine's face, "You an your family are no longer welcome here, until you all learn to behave yourselves when I give you an order."
Katherine sat with wide eyes as Death released her grip on her coat to push the broken pocket watch into Katherine's hands. She had no clue what Death was talking about, let alone how to fix whatever happened between her sisters and Death. Just as Death started to walk away Katherine shot up off of the cobbled path, she deserved an explanation for the scolding she received on behalf of her sisters.
"But… wait!" Katherine called out but Death waved her hand and the fog thickened around Katherine until it swallowed her up.
Katherine opened her eyes and she gasped for air grabbing at her chest that tightened with every breath. She felt a hand rub her back and instinctively she turned as she raised her arm up to smack it away. Max recoiled his hand, holding it up in defense before running it through his hair, "All I did was ask if you wanted me to go with you."
Katherine glanced around at the dark narrow alleyway she and Max stood in away from all the prying eyes of the bustling city streets. She couldn't seem to remember Max putting her down, or when they had arrived. There was a small purple glowing shop sign that hung above the door in front of her that read 'Sanders Magic Emporium'. There were no windows or any other shop signs down that alley, only brick walls and the dingy metal door giving Katherine an ominous feeling.
She took a deep breath to steady her racing heart. She needed to hurry up and get the package so she can have a nice long chat with her sisters.
"If my mother trusts this Sanders guy enough to hold a package for her, it would be wise to not bring another creature with me," Katherine explained, "Stay close to the door, I'm not sure how deep the shop is."
With that she wasted no time opening the door to step into the dimly lit empty store. The metal door slammed behind Katherine, an involuntary squeak escaped her lips at the sudden sound. As her eyes adjusted she noticed the only lights in the store were coming from lit candles that lined the checkout counter. She could make out the silhouette's of cheap plastic skeleton decorations humans used during autumnus and fake cobwebs that lined the water stained red ceiling.
What kind of seedy place did her mother send her to?
As Katherine approached the checkout counter she noticed the white candles were arranged in a circle while a golden colored candle sat in the middle. She lowered her face just above the golden candle having the sudden urge to extinguish its flame. She sucked in a large breath, but just as she was about to blow it out she remembered something Marianne had said once about golden candles.
All candles have specific meanings that most witches are aware of but there are also underlying uses for each color. The golden ones are special, when arranged properly it can represent the sun and power. What most witches don't know is that the candles power is amplified in the sun arrangement depending on the number of candles. One white candle would give the golden candle enough sun power to start a campfire when a creature blows it out.
Katherine's lip trembled as she slowly moved her face away from the candle to release her held breath. She had counted a total of 10 white candles amplifying the power of the sun candle, giving it the equivalent power of a small bomb when extinguished.