The Vanish Witch

  A.J. Locke

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2023 A.J. Locke. All rights reserved.

  Cover Design by Rhett Podersoo

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Kiss and Vanish

  Chapter One

  One Year Ago

  T he first rule of making someone disappear was: no witnesses.

  But that was easier said than done when tonight’s mark was a massive, underground fighter who drew in dense crowds and liked to party the night away after his matches.

  Which was why I hadn’t bothered staking Hammer out at the underground fights and spent weeks doing recon about his movements until I’d figured out the best time to strike.

  Tonight would be Hammer’s last hurrah.

  I slipped into a narrow alley between two apartment buildings, wrinkling my nose against the sour assault of garbage coming from the cans and bags clustered here.

  A smile tugged my lips when I glanced up and saw that the larger moon, Aulura, was in its waxing crescent phase. Nowadays, the significance of the moons’ phases to witches was more symbolic than anything else, but I always felt like luck was on my side when I used my magic under an Aulura crescent.

  When I glanced at my watch, I saw that it was almost one. If things went how they should, I wouldn’t be waiting long.

  I tugged at the fabric that covered my head, making sure that it was secure. My nose and mouth were covered as well, leaving only my eyes visible. The rest of my outfit consisted of a loose, long-sleeved top, black pants, fingerless gloves, and heeled boots to throw off my height.

  It was the middle of summer, and I was sweltering in this get up, but when performing illegal acts of magic, it was stealth all the way.

  A few cars passed as I stood concealed in the shadows, and one or two people walked by, but the neighborhood remained mostly quiet. I had canvassed the area a few days ago and deduced that there weren’t any security cameras to worry about.

  “Shoo.” I flicked my hand at a stray dog that came sniffing around the garbage for scraps. It paid me no mind but slinked off after a couple minutes.

  It was almost one-thirty. I blew out a breath and steeled myself.

  Any minute now.

  A strange feeling rippled over me; like I was being watched. I slowly turned around, scanning the shadows. There was a narrow pathway that went left from the alley around the back of the building. Was someone coming from that direction? Or was it another stray animal?

  I held still and listened. Strained my eyes even though visibility was low.

  Nothing moved.

  I tried to relax and turned back around. I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that I wasn’t alone, but as the minutes ticked by, I neither saw nor heard anyone approaching. Good.

  After about five minutes, a car pulled up near the building. Seconds later a tall, Black man wearing a T-shirt that was fighting for its life across his muscled chest stumbled out of the SUV. He was bald, and his scalp was heavily scarred, as were his forearms and biceps, which were as thick as my thighs. He wobbled for a few minutes, a goofy smile on his lips, his eyes half closed as he swayed from side to side.

  I awakened my magic, feeling it spread through my body like water spilling down a dry riverbed. I channeled it to my hands and it manifested as wisps of dark blue smoke that curled around my fingers.

  “Come on over you big, bad man,” I whispered. The weeks I’d spent tracking Hammer’s habits paid off when he finally stopped swaying and shuffled over to the alley.

  Where he would take a long piss before drunkenly attempting to get inside his building.

  Hammer was a brute, but he was a brute who stuck to a rigid training schedule, which was why no matter how much raucous partying he did after his matches, he was always home by half past one.

  I loved a mark you could set your watch by.

  I shifted further into the shadows as Hammer staggered into the mouth of the alley, bracing his forearm against the wall.

  Sometimes he threw up here too. I hoped tonight wouldn’t be one of those nights.

  He walked further in and started fumbling with his fly.

  That was my cue.

  I purposely knocked into a garbage can as I moved, causing Hammer to freeze and raise his head, which wobbled like a bobble-head figure.

  “Hello, Hammer,” I purred. I stopped about five feet away.

  “Th’ fuck ar’ you?” he slurred. He leaned forward as though trying to get a better look, but between my dark clothes and the shadows in the alley, I was near invisible.

  “I'm more interested in who you are,” I said, keeping my voice low. “See, I’ve been paying attention to you for a while. And paying attention is how I found out that despite the ‘no kill’ rule, you’ve killed over a dozen of your opponents.”

  Underground fighting was illegal. But it had become such a robust operation that it was hard for the authorities to shut it down completely. The city sat above an extensive network of tunnels that not only allowed for a massive transit system, it allowed for a lot of seedy operations to take place, like the fight clubs.

  If one of their pockets was found, they moved elsewhere. When whispers started that Hammer’s opponents were dying, I hoped it would be the start of stronger efforts to shut down the fight clubs, or that people would stop going up against him, but alas, neither of those things happened. Nor did any consequences come Hammer’s way for breaking the rules.

  So I’d decided to take matters into my own hands.

  I clamped my hand onto Hammer’s wrist.

  Hammer swung his free hand and I ducked. His fist hit the wall, but he barely grunted at the impact. He reared his hand back for another strike and I kicked out one of his legs, causing him to fall.

  His head hit the wall and he lay sprawled on the ground, stunned.

  I was a karate black belt, but I had been counting on Hammer’s intoxication to do most of the work for me since starting a fight would draw attention.

  I crouched and regained my hold on his wrist.

  “I’m a Vanish Witch. An Evanescet if you wanna use the proper term.” He went as still as a corpse and his eyes dropped to my hold on his wrist and the magic that swirled there.

  “Wh’ … what th’ fuck, bitch! The hell you doin’!”

  “I’m gonna let you in on a little secret,” I said. “My magic is a bit stronger than most Vanish Witches’. Do you know much of witch history?” I smiled slyly.

  “Once upon a time Vanish Witches could make your house and everything in it disappear. Could wave a hand and make an invading army blip out of existence. Now, we have but a drop of the magic our ancestors did. We can make small things disappear. An eyesore of a chair, a pair of our partner’s shoes if we’re in a particular mood.”

  My smile widened. “I can’t Vanish an army, but I can Vanish a single person. And since you’ve decided to murder for money, I’ve decided you deserve to disappear.”

  “Wait … no … no … wait!” Hammer started to pull his arm. He was bigger and stronger than I was, but I hadn’t been afraid to confront him because once I had hold of something, nothing was faster than the speed of my magic.

  I released my magic into him.

  Hammer disappeared with a little pop of air that was music to my ears every single time.

  I remained still for a moment to let my emotions settle. No matter how carefully I planned my hits, something could always go wrong. Every time I pulled off making a piece of shit like Hammer disappear it was a victory I knew could be my last.

  But it was worth it.

  I took a deep breath and immediately regretted it as the stench of garbage flooded my nose. I was about to step from the alley when I heard a noise and my earlier unease returned. I turned around, instinctively calling my magic up to protect myself.

  Someone was there! I couldn’t make out their features, but as I stumbled back, they clamped their hand around my wrist, so I returned the favor.

  And saw at the last second who it was when they yanked down the cowl that had been covering their face.

  My boyfriend Marrik’s wide, shocked expression met mine.

  We both tried to speak but it was too late.

  My magic bolted into Marrik.

  “Kit—” He disappeared.

  “Marrik. Marrik.” I dropped to my knees, my body trembling, my eyes too wide, my soul feeling like it was trying to shake free of my body as the most horrible feeling I had ever known clenched me like an inescapable vice.

  Marrik. The man I loved. The man I’d been in a relationship with for the past two years.

  The man I hadn’t yet told I was Vanishing peop
le.

  He had caught on to me. Followed me. Come up behind me to confront me.

  And I had Vanished him from existence.

  I couldn’t move. Could barely remember how to breathe. The last few minutes kept playing in a loop through my head. Tears welled and fell. I wasn’t sure how I was still alive because I was certain my heart had just shattered in my chest.

  I had Vanished the man I loved.

  From which there was no coming back.

  Chapter Two

  Present Day

  I t was after five in the afternoon and downtown was bustling. A smoky haze hung over the cobblestoned street I was walking down from open barbeque pits on the sidewalk. The scent of roasting meat and corn made my mouth water. It had been a day of cloudless skies, and both moons were visible. Aulura, the larger moon, was full of craters and carried a faint, lavender hue. The smaller, pale golden moon, Cebis, was gibbous. In between them, the sun shone, soon to give up its reign in a few hours.

  Laughing children scampered past me, trying to catch a shadow ball that slid across the stones. My lips quirked as I followed the erratic movements of the shadow, which was being manipulated by one of the kids.

  A girl in a purple dress took an ambitious leap and tried to land on top of the ball, which would have won her the game, but she missed. Once upon a time jumping onto a shadow made by an Umbra Witch would have sent you on a journey through it, to exit elsewhere. Now, Umbra Witches could do little more than parlor tricks with their command of shadows.

  I shifted my attention from the kids as I continued to walk. I loved the architecture in this part of the city. Vonuis was one of the largest cities in Sollunara, a witch territory in the southern part of the continent. Most of the buildings were wooden, with painted exteriors in an array of vibrant colors. There were quaint cottages, apartment buildings, and multilevel townhouses, most of which had been standing for at least a century.

  Uptown, which was on the other side of the city’s longest river, was where much of the new was. Vonuis’ towering skyscrapers would always be the visual point that drew your eye in, but I preferred the rustic vibes of these smaller neighborhoods. Which was why I was invested in keeping them as safe and thriving as possible despite the risk of my ability to Vanish people being found out.

  I turned a corner and nodded my head along to the music a trio was playing on steel pans. The up-tempo melody had people dancing in the street.

  Marrik would have dragged me over to join them.

  I paused, my eyes widening and my heartbeat slightly accelerating. Just his name crossing my mind on a lazy thought had frozen me. I swallowed and took a deep breath before I unlocked my joints and continued walking.

  In my head I was furiously repairing the hole in my mental walls that had allowed that thought to slip through, but the damage had already been done.

  My throat grew tight, and I tried to swallow my tears instead of release them.

  Don’t think about him.

  Don’t fall apart.

  Don’t think about him.

  Last night I’d dreamed again about the night I’d accidentally Vanished him a year ago. Well, it was more like a nightmare. I’d woken up crying and hadn’t been able to fall back asleep.

  It was unfathomably difficult trying to live with the truth of something I would never have the power to change. All I could do was try to mitigate my pain by redirecting my thoughts. Some days it worked better than others. On the bad days it felt like my grief was a physical weight pressing against me, making each breath harder than the last.

  I quickened my pace and focused on my destination, which was up ahead, at the end of the block.

  Kiss and Hex was a three-story bordello painted in shades of teal and purple. In lieu of signage, above the whitewashed door, stylish red lips were painted into the curve of the waning crescent phase of Cebis, which was the phase aligned with Umbra Witches.

  I waved to Calla, a blue-eyed, willowy brunette, who stood on the porch handing out colorful icies to a few kids. Her loose hair swooped over one shoulder while her floral robe slipped off the other. Under the robe she wore a tank top and cotton shorts, and her feet were bare. She waved back before patting the back of one of the kids who hugged her as thanks for the snack.

  Since the kids were posted up on the porch steps to enjoy their treat, I decided not to go through the front, turning instead down the side alley where I was greeted by the stench of garbage. I called up my magic and touched each trash bag as I passed by. As they Vanished, the air was mercifully more breathable.

  I walked behind the house into the bordello’s modestly sized back yard. A curved path cut through well-manicured grass, and ample shade was provided by two tall oak trees that were as old as the house. Tucked in a corner was a small but elegant waterscape where a gentle flow of water streamed over dark, gray rocks.

  After climbing the short flight of stairs to the porch, I sent a quick text message, then waited near the door, cursing when I accidentally knocked over the bin of parasols used by staff and clients who wanted to take a stroll around the yard.

  By the time I’d straightened it up the door opened, and I was greeted by my sibling, Jiano, who gathered me into their arms for a tight hug before ushering me across the threshold and locking the door behind me.

  “Hello, Kitten,” they said, straightening their robe as they swished past me down the dimly lit hallway. My sandaled feet slapped against the hardwood floor as I followed.

  The magenta painted walls were lined with sconces on either side, as well as an assortment of photographs or paintings in old-fashioned, ornate frames. They showcased people who’d worked at the bordello over the years in stunning burlesque costumes, sultry lingerie, and provocative poses.

  “Hi, Ji.”

  Jiano turned and looked me over sharply, their eyes narrowing. Jiano was a head taller than me, with our father’s broad-shouldered physique. We had similar brown skin tones, and our mother’s dark brown eyes.

  Their robe was open almost to their waist, leaving much of their muscled chest bare. Under it they wore pink harem pants that tapered at the ankles, and flip flops. Since the bordello wouldn’t be open for a few more hours their face bore no makeup, but Jiano was striking without it. They had sculpted brows mine could never achieve no matter how much they tried to help, a closely cropped beard along their jawline, and afroed hair that was currently in cornrows under a wig cap.

  “What’s wrong?” Jiano asked, lifting an eyebrow.

  I bristled. “All I said was ‘hi’.” I broke eye contact and pretended the painting next to my head needed straightening. Ji batted my hand away and brought my attention back to them.

  “That was a very weighed ‘hi’.”

  I rolled my eyes and continued walking, brushing past them.

  Damn that sibling intuition. Memories of Marrik were still too close to the surface, and when my thoughts slid to him it was hard to pretend I wasn’t carrying a weight I didn’t have the strength to bear.

  Luckily for me, an open door up ahead, from which laughter and chatter could be heard, provided an easy dodge from Jiano pressing me to talk about the one thing I did not want to talk about.

  I stopped at the doorway, which led into one of the dressing rooms, and called a greeting to its occupants, some of the bordello’s staff, who were collectively called Hexes.

  Tall, statuesque Rowan with her unblemished, dark brown skin, was at the vanity, styling her thick hair into Bantu-knots.

  “Hi, Kit Kat,” Rowan called.

  “Hey, Ro,” I replied.

  A couple feet behind her, Arjun lounged in a high-backed chair with a leg drawn up, pulling on a joint. He gave me a wave as he flipped his straight, black hair, which reached his waist, over his shoulder. He was bare chested, leaving the numerous floral and animal tattoos across the brown skin of his chest and arms visible.

  “Come on, throw it! Oh, hi Kit!” That voice belonged to Hye-Jin, who had an enviable, full figure, and was dressed in a lacy bralette and leggings. She stood with her back against the wall on the far side of the large room.

  A few feet away, Valentino, who wore sherbet-colored shorts with the word “peachy” across the butt, threw me a quick wave before rearing his hand back and releasing a small dagger straight at Hye-Jin.