Child of Tempest Read online

  Child of Tempest

  by

  Ciara Lake

  Child of Tempest

  Copyright © 2015, Ciara Lake

  ISBN: 9781940744728

  Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.

  Electronic Publication: April 2015

  Editor: Pamela Tyner

  Cover: Fantasia Frog Designs

  eBooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Back Cover Copy

  Dragged through hell, can two immortal lovers accept their fates?

  Several citizens of Coventon have experienced bizarre near-drowning incidents, their lungs filling with water despite the fact that they’re nowhere near water. These mysterious cases bewilder the medical community. When people begin to whisper about possible supernatural causes it makes Dr. Xandra Carrington even more concerned since her family are wiccans, and she doesn’t want to deal with the negative attention this will bring to them. So she’s more than a little put off when a hot-shot reporter shows up to investigate.

  Jian Akvo is an award-winning journalist and author. When he arrives to investigate the strange incidents, he’s captivated by the beautiful, young doctor. However, Xandra is cautious of Jian. As soon as she met him, she knew he was immortal, and when she discovered he was a Krevellian water wizard, she knew she couldn’t trust him, because no one can trust a Krevellian.

  Despite that, they end up joining forces in an effort to solve the mystery. Together they will face enemies and even visit the depths of hell. And during the journey Xandra finds herself drawn to Jian. Is it possible for the immortal daughter of a witch to find happiness with a water wizard? And will they find the answers they seek before it’s too late?

  Content Warning: contains explicit sexual content and some violence

  Dedication

  To Elise Whyles, my partner in this series and my best friend.

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to my excellent editor, Pam Tyner.

  Chapter 1

  Sirens blared as Xandra pulled into her designated parking space. Two ambulances arrived at the hospital, heading for the emergency room entrance. Just as they reached their destination they silenced. She sat in her car for several minutes watching the paramedics quickly unload the patients. A medical team met them at the doorway to assist.

  It looked like it was going to be a busy Saturday night. Xandra grabbed her bag and got out of the car. She paused for a moment. I thought I felt the ground move. It must be a big truck somewhere. She placed her bag on her shoulder and made her way to the hospital’s staff entrance. Once inside she headed to the locker room to store her things. She hoped she wouldn’t be immediately noticed. She wasn’t on duty for another half hour, and she needed a cup of coffee.

  A red-faced Sylvia skidded to a stop, blocking her. “Dr. Carrington, am I glad to see you.” The nurse’s brow was creased with worry, and perspiration was rolling down the side of her face.

  “What’s wrong? You look…overwrought.”

  “That’s a good word for it.” She gave a tight grin. “We’ve been overwhelmed with emergency situations. One after another. It’s been a crazy night.”

  “I saw two ambulances roll up at the same time I was parking.”

  “Yes.” She frowned. “They were called in on an automobile crash. A quirky accident at that. Although, nothing could surprise me anymore after today. Plus, we have other patients with injuries that are very unusual.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, it’s like the fates are wreaking havoc today. Dr. Seymour wants to talk to you before he leaves to go home. He’s in ICU right now.”

  “Okay, let me stash my things and I’ll come on duty.” Xandra stepped around Sylvia. “What type of unusual injuries?”

  Sylvia walked with her. “Near-drowning victims. One man was in his bed when he started to drown. Another was driving her car. We have six cases so far. All happening in unexplainable places. It’s so bizarre, no water is involved except…well, except the water in and on the victims.”

  Xandra stopped to look at the nurse. “What? What do you mean, near-drowning while in bed and driving with no water involved?”

  Sylvia shrugged. “Exactly, it makes no sense at all. Their lungs just start to fill with liquid rather quickly.”

  “What kind of fluid?”

  “It’s not from them. We had the substance tested. It’s lake water, but these people were nowhere near the lake.”

  “Lake water?” Chills danced down her spine.

  “Yes.” Sylvia nodded.

  “Tell me more.” Xandra motioned for her to keep up.

  “All six of the victims are in the ICU now.”

  Xandra glanced in the direction of the ICU. “They have a full house.”

  “That’s for sure. The last one came in about two hours ago. We’ve managed to improve all of the victim’s body core temperatures.”

  “So their body core temperatures were reduced too, just as if they were fully submerged?”

  “Yes, and with two of them after the water was removed from their lungs they started having acute respiratory distress. We’re watching the others closely for possible symptoms.”

  “Good.” Xandra nodded. “That’s what we need to do. That’s a typical result of some near-drowning victims.”

  “We’re running additional test to see what other damage there may be. As you know, near-drowning can often cause neurological issues.”

  “I’m aware.”

  “We’ve called a neurologist just to be safe, but the nearest one is over an hour away, in Newcomers town.” She glanced at her watch. “He’ll be coming in shortly, we hope.”

  “Great. It sounds like you’ve got it under control for the moment.”

  “I hope so.” Sylvia sighed. “But the automobile accident just coming in was caused by lightning striking the road. I hope we aren’t about to have another series of odd events.”

  “Wow, it is a peculiar night. There hasn’t been a cloud in the sky.”

  “Yes.” Sylvia touched the crucifix around her neck. “Dr. Seymour and Dr. Jameson are about to drop from exhaustion. They’ve been running around all evening. To make things more stressful a reporter is here too.”

  “A reporter?”

  “Yes, these near-drowning episodes have brought a lot of attention. It’s been happening very publically for some. One of the victims started drowning in the middle of a town council meeting. He started to gurgle up water like a scene out of The Exorcist or something. It was quite a spectacle. Even the victim’s clothes and hair became visibly wet. It’s as if it’s something… Well, something supernatural.”

  “Supernatural?” Xandra nearly choked.

  “Yes. It’s frightening. Dr. Seymour contacted the CDC.”

  “They don’t deal with the supernatural.”

  Sylvia grinned. “Of course they don’t. I said it seemed as if it were supernatural.”

  “Okay.” Xandra smiled.

  “They’re supposed to be sending someone to investigate.”

  Xandra stopped when she got to the staff locker room door. “Could it be contagious?”

  “We don’t think so. But who knows?” Sylvia shrugged. “Nevertheless, due to the bizarre circumstances and the quick onset, Dr. Seymour thought it was best to at least alert them.”

  “That makes sense. How does this condition seem to be spreading?”

  “Randomly from what we c
an tell so far. The victims have no connection we know about.”

  “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be right there.” Xandra pushed the door open.

  “I’ll let Dr. Seymour know you’re here.” Sylvia rushed off down the hall.

  Five minutes later, Xandra entered the ICU.

  “Dr. Carrington.” Dr. Seymour motioned to her. “I’m glad to see you. I understand Sylvia gave you a brief rundown of what’s been going on.”

  “She did.” Xandra nodded.

  “We’ve gotten things under control for now, so come with me to my office. I’ll give you more details. We’re going to have you speak with the reporter.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, I’m too tired. And you do much better with this sort of thing. You have a way of charming people.” He smiled at her then led her down the hallway to his office.

  When they got to his door, he stepped to the side and allowed her to enter first. Once inside, he closed the door behind him.

  “Have a seat, Dr. Carrington.” He motioned to a chair. “I’m concerned.”

  “I can imagine. It sounds as if you’ve had a busy night.”

  “We have had an unbelievably busy night. The CDC thought I was nuts when I reported this strange ailment or condition...whatever the hell it should be called. This night has been freakin’ nuts.” He shook his head as he sat down behind his desk. He looked at her, his eyes reflecting his frustration. Samuel Seymour was normally an even-tempered man. But not today—she could see he was coming unstrung. “Xandra, people are drowning and for no reason. How does that happen?” He threw his arms up in exasperation.

  “Good question.” She sat down and crossed her legs as she leaned back in the chair.

  “It’s lake water in their lungs and all over them from head to toe. Yet they were shopping or standing in the front of the meeting hall.” He stood up and paced the floor. “How can you be in the grocery store and start spitting up water because you’re drowning? How can your hair and clothes get soaked without water nearby? It’s crazy. It’s like fucking demon possession.”

  “I’m not sure either. It sounds…unexplainable.” Xandra tried hard to maintain an unruffled demeanor. As she had walked through the corridors, she’d noticed that the entire staff was rattled.

  “It’s unexplainable all right—it’s a lot more than that. I don’t have a word for it.” He ran his hand through his thick, graying hair. “It’s the water from Wizard’s Lake. I overheard some talking about it being black magic or demon possession. I’ve lived in Coventon most of my life and I don’t buy into that crap, but this sure could change my mind.” He plopped back down into his desk chair and leaned back.

  “Who’s saying it’s black magic or demon possession?” Her stomach tightened.

  Xandra nearly bit her tongue when an elderly woman materialized behind him. Her gray hair was pulled back in a bun and she wore a white dressing gown. Tenderly, she ran her hands through Dr. Seymour’s hair as if she adored him. Then she looked up at Xandra and winked. “He’s my son,” she whispered. Xandra knew she was the only one who could hear or see her. “He’ll be joining me soon.” Then she put her finger over her lips. “Shush, don’t tell him. He will only worry more.”

  Xandra tried her best to look away from her. Frustration and confusion made her suddenly feel sick. After all these years, she still she didn’t understand her gift and why only some dead appeared to her. Focus, Xandra. Don’t pay attention to the dead woman.

  “Some of the nurses, other staff members, and the patients’ families, plus those who witnessed what happened. They’re calling it the return of the Coventon curse. They’re spooked. I’m spooked,” Dr. Seymour admitted.

  “That curse is about vampires gone rouge and witches who cursed them. An evil goddess who swore to do harm to those who crossed her. It had nothing to do with drowning. Besides, it’s all fiction. A myth created from delusional minds. None of it’s true. It’s just part of Coventon’s colorful history. It makes us a tourist spot.” Xandra tensed as she did her best to cast doubt on any discussion of magic, curses, or demons.

  “See you later, Xandra,” the elderly woman said, then she faded away.

  “I don’t know what the hell it’s about really. All I know is this could spin out of control if we’re not careful. Our small town will be swarming with news reporters and psychic phenomenon types. This community hasn’t had any unexplained incidents for decades. Now this.” He sighed. “In fact, I think the last incident was before you were even born. It was about fifty years ago.” He picked up a pen and twirled it between his fingers. “I can see it now, ‘The Coventon Curse Returns’ on the front of the Enquirer.”

  “What’s the incident you’re talking about?”

  “The magic fire—people bursting into flames for no reason. Their bodies were like walking torches. I was a teenager when it happened. It frightened my mother to pieces, and she started going bonkers after that. She kept telling me the lord of hell was angry and would come to Coventon one day. That it was foretold that he would come here to claim his own.”

  “I haven’t heard anything like that before.”

  “Back in those days secrets were easier to keep. The town leaders tried hard to keep it out of the national news. For a town to be mystic with a colorful history is one thing, but to have people turning into walking torches with senior citizens declaring the lord of hell would be arriving soon was another. However, it was still labeled as part of the curse. People were scared to the core. One good thing was those who went up into flames kinda deserved it. They were bad people. It was like instant justice.”

  “Fire and the lord of hell story would scare a lot of people.”

  “Yes, it did. It nearly caused panic. People caught on fire similarly to these drownings. They were in their beds, at work, in their cars. Nowhere near an igniting source. It was like magic.”

  Xandra cringed. Damn, I hate that word.

  He frowned. “At that time there were only three victims. They all died instantly and in awful pain. I guess there have been other odd occurrences over this town’s long history but only these two in modern history. Anyway, this community has gotten a bad rap for centuries as far as people throwing around accusations of curses and black magic. Now, I’m beginning to believe it too.”

  “I know.” She nodded. “Perhaps there is a scientific answer to everything. Some things just seem out of this world but aren’t.”

  “Be optimistic, good.” He grinned. “We live in a twenty-first century Salem, let’s just hope we don’t have the witch trials too.” His expression was distraught. His eyes were red from lack of sleep, and there were dark circles underneath them.

  “Yes, I agree.” Heat rushed over her body. All my life I’ve been thrown in the middle of odd events or associated with them. Here it goes again. Soon it’ll have something to do with the Carringtons. She exhaled slowly.

  “I wonder if the town’s doomed. A cursed town, you know, for real. Is magic real? I know your mother and aunts are into the hocus-pocus stuff. What do you think?”

  I knew it, I knew it. Xandra bit her lip at his comment. “I don’t know what to think. But I don’t think the town is cursed.” She smiled to cover her true emotions. Without warning, her chair began to move, pushing her closer to his desk, but he didn’t seem to notice.

  “After all, we do live in a town called Coventon and our big lake is Wizard’s Lake. Is all of that a coincidence?” He looked directly at her.

  Again, heat traveled up her neck, and warmth embraced her. An ugly voice spoke close to her ear. “He’s such a cutie, Xandra. The mortal doctor has a hard-on. You should fuck him like only a witch can. Show him the supernatural in action, up close and personal. Besides, he’s a naughty boy. He’s not been faithful to his wife since the second week of their thirty-year marriage. Always looking for better pussy.” Xandra remained calm. “He has two bastard sons.”

  Xandra felt the entity move away from her. Over the years,
she had grown accustomed to otherworldly energies speaking to her. But usually they were not so awful sounding.

  “Xandra, are you listening to me?” Dr. Seymour’s eyes penetrated hers, convicting her of age-old rumors of witchcraft and more.

  Damn, was this ever going to stop? For years she’d battled with being ostracized by certain people due to horrid rumors concerning her family. And now this? Xandra counted to ten, holding her composure. “My mother and aunts own and operate a wiccan store. They’re healers, herbalist, nothing more. So they wouldn’t know of curses or black magic.”

  “Oh yes, they do, my darling.” A cold hand touched hers. “Lies, lies, all lies and you know it. They have power beyond healing, as you do. And there’s so much you don’t know. Be yourself, you are more than this mortal gutter rat. Stop hiding who you are.”

  “I went to medical school to be something more than an herbalist because my family has a great interest and talent in healing others,” she said, her tone snappy.

  “I didn’t mean to make you feel defensive.” He leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk. “I’m sorry to have upset you.” He shook his head. “I’m frustrated and confused. Not to mention, a bit afraid. And how do we deal with the reporters? I don’t want CNN and Fox News here. It’s bad enough to have the local newspaper reporter bugging us.”

  “We should tell the reporter the truth.”

  “The truth?” He coughed.

  “Yes, the truth, what we know. We know we don’t have all the information at this time. Not to mention some of the information is protected under doctor-patient confidentiality laws. But we’re making appropriate decisions to keep the community safe, and we’ve contacted the CDC just to be cautious. They haven’t rushed here in hazmat gear, so that’s probably a good sign.”

  “See, I told you.” He pointed at her. “I knew you should be the one to talk to the reporter. His name’s Jian Akvo from The Coventon Local News.”