Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Sorry for the wait. But you have the real world to deal with. But what can you do?...Seriously, I would like an answer. If anyone has one. Besides winning the lottery.

Chapter 2: A Family of Black Roses

"You think you're free of me?" Asked a familiar disembodied voice." Don't make me laugh! Your nothing more than a failure of a genetic experiment, but you belong to me! Your blood, your bones, your flesh, you're very cells, they all belong to me... no matter how far you run, no matter how many miles are between us I will collect what's mine in time. So you better be ready son hahahah..."

Kaine shot up heart racing stingers instantly erupting from his wrists, ready to kill a certain someone only to find nothing, no one was here no one was laughing just an empty room.

"...Where am I?" Kaine asked out loud retracting his stingers as he looked around the room he was currently in. He was on a large king size bed with green silk sheets and pillows, the room was large its walls were made of marble, so too was the floor. The room was decorated with marble statues of naked women some had angel wings on their backs or fairy wings but all of them were naked. The entire room had a Renaissance decorative style to it.

A few seconds into serving the room, he noticed that he wasn't wearing his mask or the rest of his suit. He looked under the green sheets to find he was only wearing his blue boxers.

"What the hell? The last thing I remember is somehow ending up in that cemetery, the red haired sword woman, feeling dizzy, then," instantly Kaine touched a spot on his shoulder that had been bandaged." Wait, it's coming back to me, I was poisoned! And she must have brought me here and cared for my wounds." Although his memory was still a bit foggy he was sure that's what happened.

"But where did she bring me?" Wherever she brought him, he just hoped there was a bathroom somewhere around because he seriously had to take a leak.

Removing the sheets off of him Kaine steps on the marble floor and off the bed, then made his way towards the door.

XxX

(Five minutes later)

Kaine made his way down a labyrinth of hallways and stairs that seemed to never end. With each turn of a corner he discover pieces of artwork more beautiful or disturbing then the last.

"This place is huge. Forty foot height ceilings, marble pillars, statues made of bronze or marble and... dozens of indoor fountains." He stopped as he saw the indoor fountains, they were circular and like the rest of the building was made of marble with a statue of either a naked woman in the center or a topless mermaid.

Kaine enhanced hearing pick up the sound of water splashing and instantly turns a corner to find steam coming out of the room. Without so much as a second thought Kaine entered the room eyes instantly widening at the sight inside. Inside the room there was a large round pool filled with warmed water that let out steam.

But the pool wasn't the reason why his jaw dropped.

It was the red haired woman whose name he had forgotten emerging from that pool completely naked. Her curvaceous body, glistens like polished marble, as she emerges from the pool. Completely unaware of Kaine's presence, she bent over to pick up a white towel off of a marble bench giving Kaine an even better view of her firm rear.

Kaine for his part, tried to do the decent thing and look away, but couldn't hard as he tried he just couldn't look away from her. It's as if he was caught in a trance by her beauty.

"I know I shouldn't look, but I can't help it," Kaine thought as he gawked at the nude red haired woman as she dried herself off. There wasn't a spot on her body that his eyes didn't roam over and as they roamed he noticed she had a black rose tattoo with a circle that had a six pointed star in it on her back.

Dozens of different scenarios went through his head of him taking her right there and then. His fantasizing, instantly came to an end the moment her head turned around. Tarot's green eyes instantly locked with his as their eyes met, he was hit by a sense of shame at having stared.

Tarot to his surprise actually smiled when she saw him," I'm glad to see you're a wake. How are you feeling?"

He was taken aback by her blithe attitude to the situation. Normally from personal experience...well Peters, personal experiences most women reacted negatively, sometimes violently whenever they discover a man, neither their boyfriend or husband watching them while they're naked...well, except for Felicia.

"Ooh...I-I feel great...um..I..didn't..."

"Good!"Tarot interrupted, putting on a silk purple robe, that she picked up off of the marble bench," Then follow me, we have plenty to talk about." She instructed rather cheerfully.

"Um...sure," Kaine replied, glad that she wasn't making an issue out of the situation which she would've been in the right had she done so." By the way...did you have to remove my mask?" He asked as he made his way towards her. While he wasn't as zealous with his secret identity as his brother was largely due to the fact that most law enforcement agencies already knew his identity, he still cared on whom knew who he was behind the Scarlet Spider's mask.

"I had to. That was the only way I could know for sure I had clean and dress all of your wounds." Tarot replied, walking towards the hallway with Kaine catching up to her a few feet behind her.

"Ooh...thank you then."Good enough for him he wasn't going to be an ass about her learning his not so secret identify after she saved his life...plus he seen more of her then she had of him and she didn't even try to kill him for it.

XxX

(Abandoned Cemetery)

"Finally!" Raven shouted in relief as her summons placed a wooden coffin in front of her."If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." After last night spectacular failure by her incompetence, ex-minions she decided to personally retrieve the final item needed for her spell to succeed.

Eagerly with glee she ordered her summons to pop open the coffin and with a single poll of their tentacle roots the pumpkin monster pulled open the wooden coffin.

Raven looked inside to see the bone corpse of what must've been a little girl due to the pink dress she had been buried with. However, there was one thing about this little girl's corps that stood out from any other corpse and that was that this one had two heads." At last, the final piece. The body of a conjoint twin."

Having found what she needed Raven raised her hand and teleported both herself and the coffin back to her sanctuary her summons would join her later.

As she teleported away two blue figures suddenly appeared a man and a woman. The man clenched his fist at what had occurred while the woman looked on as if she didn't care at all.

XxX

(Tarot's Mansion)

"Okay, let's start with the twenty questions already. You want to go first or should I?" Kaine asked, taking a sip of coffee while resisting the urge to stare at Tarot exposed chest. Either she hasn't noticed that her robe was loose... or much more likely she didn't care which would explain why she didn't throw a fit when she caught him peeping at her at the pool.

"You're my guest so please feel free to begin."Tarot replied, from the opposites end of her family's kitchen table. She had chosen the kitchen to have this conversation due to its relaxing feel...plus it was the least magical decorated room in her family's house.

"Fine with me. Who are you? Where did those pumpkin, things come from? Why are we looking for your sister? Where the hell am I? And by any chance do you know a man named Stephen Strange?" He bombarded at her all at once.

"I was born with the name "Rowan" but I'm also known by my magical name "Tarot" and am a witch of the Black Rose," Tarot said." And I'm afraid. I don't know anyone by the name of Stephen Strange."

"Magical name?" So Tarot wasn't her superhero code name?

"When a witch becomes of age,"Tarot began." She may choose to take on a magical name. I chose Tarot after a gift that my mother gave me as a child. My sister Raven just added to her name. So now she goes by the name of Raven Hex."

"She's the one you're looking for? Why would she be sending out overgrown pumpkins to cemeteries?" Seriously, what could someone want from a cemetery. There must be some kind of magical reason for Tarot's sister, to send those pumpkins there and his gut was telling him it wasn't anything good. The whole thing screamed too much of 'Night of the Living Dead' for his taste.

"I fear that Raven is looking for an item that will allow her to resurrect the dead."Tarot answered grimly.

Nailed it!

"Let me guess she's one of those weirdos who have a thing for the undead or is she one of those goth's who just hate life in general?" Seriously it had to be either one of the two very few people missed with the dead. And the few who did weren't very well liked, even in the super villain community.

"Don't judge her too harshly," Tarot replied, defensively despite her actions Raven was still her sister and wouldn't stand idle while someone insulted her in her presence." Growing up openly as witches wasn't easy, we were harass daily called ridiculous names like devil worshiper and baby killers. The devil doesn't exist in our faith and we certainly wouldn't harmony any children. But they wouldn't listen, and what they didn't understand they feared than they tried to destroy."

What they didn't understand they feared than tried to destroy. I'm pretty sure a school out in Westchester, New York for gifted youngsters would agree with that statement.

"So we kept to ourselves mostly we practice our traditions in private," Tarot continued." The world of witchcraft is a wonderful place. Sights that are hidden from normal eyes are revealed to us in all their glory. Communion with the fairy realm, nature and the supernatural, it's all a great blessing from the gods and goddesses."

Gods and goddesses? Fairy realm? He wasn't sure now if she was describing her religion, or promoting the next Disney movie.

"We tried to share this with the outside world," Tarot said." But they just wanted to live in their colorless world. We were different that made us dangerous. One day, Raven, and I were cornered by a group of kids at recess. They chanted their ugly, witch rhymes. Then one of them threw a stone it struck me in the forehead..they laughed."

"...Am going to guess that didn't sit well with your sister," Kaind said already knowing where this was going.

"You would guess right my sister was enraged by what happen and used her magic to cut off a tree branch which happen to be above the group luckily besides a few broken bones, everyone survived we were sent home accused of having started the fight."

Tarot stopped to take a sip of coffee.

There's no way the story could possibly end just like that. Origin stories never end just like that. Trust me. I've heard hundreds of them. There never boring and very few of them end well.

"When my father saw the cut on my forehead and heard what had happened to us in the schoolyard he to became enraged," Tarot said."He contacted the school and demanded to know why this happened to his daughters. They wanted nothing to do with him or our family and expelled us on the spot. As a closing jab, they stated that if we had dressed and acted normal, like the rest of the world, we wouldn't have had these problems. Then they sharply hung up."

"Your dad couldn't let it go. Could he?" To be fair who could have your family had just been attacked, and the people in charge basically told you to fuck off. If you have the power to do something about it wouldn't you do it?

"I never saw my father so angry before in my life his family was physically assaulted, his words ignored, he turned to the forbidden book of shadows." Tarot said remembering everything as if it happened yesterday. "He would be heard one way or another."

"What did your mother think of all this? Did she agree with your father?"

"My mother tried to stop him, but he was blinded with hate," Tarot replied." The night after the incident the school burned to the ground. Soon after, a group of townspeople tried to do the same to our house."

Damn! An angry mob of townspeople trying to burn down the house of man who they think is a monster. Where have I heard this before?

"But the forest dwellers, that my father conjured up, stopped them from doing so."

Forest dwellers?

"In the end, the magic that my father used to burn down the school consumed him as well. The "Three Folds Law," whatever you do, comes back three times over, is a powerful lesson to be learned." Tarot said pain evident in her voice." My sister was hit hardest by the loss of our father. She blamed the townspeople for his death and vowed to someday avenge him...It hardened her...In the years that followed, she chose the dark path and secretly studied necro-magic to raise our father from the dead was her goal. But her spells only brought back abominations. She needed more powerful ingredients. After ignoring several warnings that Necro-magic upset the natural balance, our mother, disciplined Raven. She banished her from the Black Rose coven in an attempt to set her back on the path of harmony."

Banished her? Seriously? Since when has banishing someone ever really work out well for anyone Kaine thought. "...It didn't work. Did it?" Of course it didn't work otherwise she wouldn't be having this conversation.

"No it just hardened her even more," Tarot replied." She delved deeper into her shadowy world." If she was no longer a witch of the Black Rose then the rose birthmark on her back meant nothing to Raven now." She gave herself a new mark, a new look... a new name Raven Hex! She stole the book from our families archives and set off to fulfill her plans of raising our father, and to begin a new age where witches rule."

"That's a hell of a story. So you think your sister can really bring back the dead?" Maybe she was only doing this to get attention?

"With that book anything is possible," replied a voice from behind Kaine." And any spell used from that book would send shock waves throughout the material plane."

Turning around he was presented with the sight of a woman that strongly resembled Tarot. For a moment, just for a moment he thought that this was the sister they had been talking about this entire time. But then thought about how absurd that would be.

She looked to be in her late thirty's, or early forties if she was even that old, she smiled at him as she entered the kitchen tucking strands of her long red and black hair. The front hair of her head was red, the back was black. Her attire was a long, black silk robe, that did nothing to hide her immense cleavage, and a pair of black slippers.

Wow that is a lot of silicone was the first thing he thought when his eyes inadvertently drifted towards her chest.

"Kaine this is my mother," Tarot said. She watched intently as Kaine stood up and went to greet her mother. Although she didn't show it she was rather edgy about Kaine meeting her mother. She wasn't entirely sure why she was so nervous about them meeting for the first time, yet couldn't help recalling that she had felt the exact same way every time she introduced her mother to one of her past lovers.

It couldn't be! We barely know each other. Plus I don't have any time for a relationship right now there's too much work to be done. Maintaining harmony between the mortal realm and the fairy realm... yet why does my heart-.

"Okay, so all we have to do is stop Raven from casting her spell during.. Samhain was it? Kaine suddenly asked out loud snapping Tarot back to the matter at hand. She had been so deep in thought that she failed to notice that Kaine and her mother had started a conversation with each other for the past few minutes.

"Right, or Halloween, as you may know it, it is when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead are at their thinnest," explained Tarots mother." If Raven uses Necro-magic to raise her father, my husband, that's when she would do it at midnight on Halloween. Her spell will frighten the populace, causing them to start witch hunts and begin the second burning time."

"Halloween?" Seriously, a spell that needed to be performed exactly at midnight on Halloween to bring back the dead... could you be any more cliché." At least we don't have any pressure. That's almost nine months from now."

Tarot and her mother exchanged worried glances before then, turning to Kaine," It's tonight!" They both said at exactly the same time with the same worried expressions.

Wait what!? That can't be right. New Year's wasn't even a month ago. There's no possible way that it could be October it's just impossible th-"

Unless?

"What year is it?" He asked out of the blue. Confusing the two in the room. How could he not know the year?

"2012," Tarot awkwardly replied suddenly very concerned about Kaine. Could the poison have somehow affected his memory to such an extent that he thought it was January. Nothing was impossible with magic.

Tarot became even more worried when Kaine's face, suddenly became pale as if someone had just been told some truly terrifying news," Kaine are you okay?"

No things are definitely not okay. They couldn't be farther from okay," I-It's nothing.. I'm just a little... disoriented from the poison that's all." But there's no point in adding his grievances to theirs. She and her family had plenty to deal with already.

By the look on their faces Tarot and her mother weren't buying into his excuse. Tarot suddenly stood up and walked over towards Kaine and placed her hand on his forehead." The poisons gone, and you don't have a fever...but I'm sensing something else.. something I can't describe." That something felt magical in one sense, yet alien in another. What could it be?

Tarot was so caught up in trying to figure out the enigma that she failed to notice that she had pressed her breasts against Kaine's chest.

I should probably say something was the thought that went through his mind. As Tarot breasts were pressed against his chest. A part of him felt he should tell the overzealous redhead that her large round, mostly bare breasts were pressing against his bare chest. The other part of him could be best described in four simple words, 'hell no enjoy it'.

As he argued with himself on what he should do. A certain body part decided to put in his two cents in the discussion.

Oh no!

His eyes looked down when he realized who was waking up. The center of his boxers were suddenly being stretched forward at a not so slow pace.

No, no, no. Go away damn it!

While getting a boner in front of the person who saved your life and her mother was already embarrassing enough. What made the whole thing even worse was the fact that in a couple of inches, which Kaine knew 'It' would reach 'It' would brash against Tarot stomach.

Thinking, quickly he took a step back out of Tarot reach and turned around.".. As long as the poisons gone. It doesn't matter. Where do we start searching for your sister?" Kaine said in the most serious professional way he could muster without sounding like he was trying to hide something by changing the subject.

Tarot pursed her lips but didn't say anything. There were more pressing matters at hand. "We start with you."

"With me!" How the hell was he supposes to know where her nut job of a sister was hiding." Why with me? I don't even know what your sister looks like."

"Because the cards told me you are the key," Tarot answered as if that explained everything." You can find Raven!"

That was the dumbest thing he had ever heard. A deck of cards told her that some random guy from another alternate reality somehow was the key to finding her evil sister... Jesus Christ even if magic was involved in all this that is way too far-fetched to be possibly true. How the hell could he possibly be the key to finding anybody, let alone a witch with freaking magical powers in an alternate reality his never been to before? It's not like he had some kind of power that allowed him to search thousands of different places at once.

A look of realization slowly spread across his face." Son of a bitch," He did.

Kaine took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Tarot asked looking at him curiously. Her mother standing behind her also looked on with interest.

"Just be quiet for a few minutes. I'm new at this."Kaine replied placing his fingers on his templates. His answer only made the two women even more curious and edge closer for a better look.

After his resurrection, a few days ago Kaine had gained quite a few abilities he still didn't quite understand. He had hoped the new Madame Web: Julia Carpenter would give him the run-down but much like Comcast customer service was of no help at all and just made you feel like killing someone. So he was basically left to figure things out on his own. One of his new abilities he had come across by chance, and it was the ability to communicate with spiders.

Kaine had discovered he could do this when a tiny spider crawled onto his hand while he had been crashing in Peters apartment. The day after he had been brought back to life. Suddenly, he found himself seeing the world through the tiny spider's eyes. The experience had been so shocking he had jumped to his feet in surprise and ripped the armrests off of Peter's club chair... adding another reason to get out of New York to the list.

It however, wasn't an ability that he used often, but it was very effective for covering huge distances. Being able to see the world through the eyes of every spider in the world meant there was almost no place someone could hide from him for too long. If what Tarot described about her sister is true then she should have plenty of spiders keeping her company.

Then he saw it. Barely a flash, but it definitely screamed evil, witches lair all over it. Concentrating he focused on that, exact position only instead to see a creepy looking dark forest that looked like it came straight out of Mirkwood through a window on some high vantage point. Trying it again he found what he was looking for a room that was filled with dark magic looking things. As he surveyed over the room. He found the room was decorated with Gothic like designs from top to bottom, such as human skulls and other Gothic like things.

Bingo. He thought ordering the spider to crawl across the wall of the room. After a few minutes, a dark greenish glow caught his attention from the end of the room. As the spider crawled for a better look. He saw that the light was coming from behind a coffin that was open with the door held up by someone. Who unknowingly did him a favor by taking a few steps to the left, which gave him a better look at...wow!

She had long black hair, whitish gray skin with a slight bluish taint to it. She had two black spider-legs like tattoos going down both her lower eyelids, two black line's going down from both sides of her lower lip that reached her chin and a bone snake like tattoo that started close to her jugular notch, want down the center of her right breast, turned right on her upper stomach, then went down again and almost made a circle around her belly button. Her attire wasn't much she wore an iron crown with spikes on other sides and a bird like skull in the center. A black g-string with several ornaments keeping it together, a black string like bikini top which strangely had two iron spike caps that covered her nipples, the bikini did nothing to cover her large breasts. A part of the bikini was tied to a metal circle attached to a black leather spiked collar, black fingerless elbow leafed gloves and finally black knee high heeled boots that had a seven pointed star inside a circle on the heel counter of each boot.

As Kaine looked her over from head to toe he was unsure on whether he should have been disturbed by her appearance or... aroused by it.

"The time is close at hand, little one."She randomly said out loud. "The greatest moment of witch-kind will soon begin and you will play an important role in mankind's closing drama. You are the final component to a spell long-overdue. The key to unlock my father from death's darkened dungeon. So that he may join me in witnessing this, glorious new age of the witch!"

Who the hell was she talking to? He told the spider to move in closer and was stunned by what he saw. It was the corpse of a conjoint little girl that looked to be around eight to ten years old when she died.

"Can you feel the excitement coursing through my flesh!? Raven screamed out joyfully as she grabbed the two heads of the little girls corpse, and placed them on her breasts." It swells with stimulation!" She shouted voice filled with ecstasy as the skulls touched her mostly bare breasts," I never thought I could feel so alive with something so dead!" She started rubbing the two skulls against her breasts and began moaning out erotically.

He had seen and done, a lot of horrifying things in the past that would have terrified even the most hard-core Lovecraft fan. But that! Creeped, even him out.

"Tarot you have one fucked up sister," Kaine thought as he ended the bizarre trance like ability returning to his own body.

"All right, I found wow!" He had opened his eyes to find Tarot literally inches away from his face. Which caused him to take a step back in surprise only to bump into... pillows?

*Moan*

He turned his head around at the sound of the moan. In a way he did bump into pillows. Kaine had bumped into Tarot's mother, but that wasn't the reason why his heart skipped a beat or what caused Tarot's mother to moan out. When he moved away from Tarot he had bent his arms and well... bumped both of his elbows onto her very considerable breasts. Breasts that were very sensitive. Apparently.

"...I-I um," he stumbled to find the right words." Sorry I didn't mean to-,"

"-It's all right. It was an honest mistake. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for not giving you your space. So no need to fret about it... I sure won't," the way Tarot's mother looked at him when she finished that sentence and the way she said it couldn't have meant that...no, it just couldn't... could it?

" You were saying Kaine?" Tarot question snapped him out of it." Who did you find?"

"..Huh oh I was saying I just found your sister," Kaine said, turning to face Tarot. Forcing the thought he had just had of her mother out of his head." She was in a tall stone building that had thin windows and was surrounded by a creepy looking dark forest. The building was so high that you see the top of the trees and the interior had a Gothic design to it. Filled with disturbing looking statues with human skulls. The only other thing I noticed was that the place looked really derelict as if no one had used the place in years."

Both Tarot and her mother were astonished by this, they actually knew a place that fits that very description "The Tower of High Witchery." They both said. It was the perfect place for Raven to hide in. The Tower of High Witchery had been abandon hundreds of years ago and is cloaked by magic so that no one from the outside world could be able to find it. But how could Kaine know about the tower?

"Kaine how did you know about the tower?"Tarot asked looking at Kaine suspiciously.

"I...ermm..," Kaine began. Honestly he knew how weird this was going to sound even to a witch." I can talk to spiders and see what they see."

Amazingly, instead of laughter or disbelief Tarot and her mother both seemed fascinated by this," You can talk to spiders and see what they're looking at. How?" Tarot asked eagerly like a kid asking his parents when were they going to Disneyland.

"It's one of my powers," Kaine said, giving Tarot the best half assed explanation he had ever given to anyone. It wasn't intentional. He honestly had no idea how this ability worked. He just knew how to use it not explain it.

"Magical powers?" Kaine shook his head." So your ability to stick to trees, turn invisible and your strength aren't magical?" Her eyes widen as Kaine nods his head. Was such a thing possible? Could one really gain such spectacular abilities without the arts? Tarot had to know more."Kaine how did you acquire these powers?"

He was cloned from a guy that got bit by a radioactive spider that instead of giving him cancer gave him spiderlike super powers. Is what he would've said if he wasn't so cantankerous about the fact of him being a clone. While he realized and accepted the fact that he was a clone. No one could blame him for trying to forget that he was a clone... a failed one at that. Peter and him were as different as night and day. We didn't even have the same height... and a few other things. He'd rather no one found out about." Someone gave them to me."

Technically, he was telling the truth, but that didn't seem to be enough to satisfy Tarots curiosity. Thankfully, her mother changed the topic back to the matter at hand," Tarot, midnight is less than five hours away. And I doubt Raven will simply abandon her schemes at the sight of you. So it's best that you and Kaine prepared yourself for the battle to come."

Kaine spoke first, before Tarot could even mutter a word," I'll need to put on my costume first. So if you can just point me to where you have it. We can be on our way."

Tarot looked like she want to say something but decided against it "Follow Pooka, he'll lead you to your clothes."

"Pooka?" What the hell was a Pooka?

"My cat." Tarot said, with a smile pointing behind him. He turned to come face-to-face with a flying black cat that was staring daggers at him. The cat had two bat wings on his back, glowing green eyes and a devils forked tail.

"You have a flying cat," Kaine obviously stated.

"Doesn't every witch?" Tarot joked as he followed Pooka out of the kitchen." I wouldn't know you're the only witch I've ever met." She heard him shout out from the hallway.

"Nice fellow, and good looking to,"Her mother suddenly said, sitting down on the kitchen table." I have a good feeling about you two." Polite, handsome, brave, mysterious, strong, and with a muscular figure in all. What more could a mother possibly ask of a lover for her daughter?

To her surprise her daughter's face suddenly turned bleak," That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I shared a vision with Kaine."

"Oh?" This was news to her.

"In the cemetery," Tarot explained." When I touched his hand. I saw a vision of "The Lovers" card. An electrical pulse shot through my body. I became warm, hot. I never felt like that before." She has had numerous lovers in the past, yet none of them had made her feel what Kaine made her felt just by touching her hand.

"You're in love," Said her mother as if she was stating the obvious.

"Mom,"That couldn't be it not after what." I'm serious. I don't have time for a relationship, I'm happy with the way things are. I have you, my magic and that's all I need."

"Tarot dear,"Something was wrong here. Her daughter had never shied away from her feelings.. until." Is this because of what happened with Boo cat?" Honestly, she wished her daughter had never met that feline exhibitionist... even if she was a very lively and a amusing person to be around with. Not to mention very open-minded about new experiences. If the stories about what her and her daughter would do together were to be believed. Which she did.

"T-That was months ago... I got over that," No she hadn't. But she didn't want her mother to worry over her. She already had enough to deal with from Raven without her having worrying about her problems." I have to go, mom, time is running out."

"What does your heart want?" She heard her mother say as she ran out of the kitchen.

What does it want?

XxX

(Half an hour later- Deep in the woods of Salem)

A golden circle made of light suddenly appeared in the dark woods, illuminating the forest. Then suddenly Tarot, Kaine and her flying cat appeared out of thin air in the center, of the circle each dressed in their respective attire. His stealth suit and her enchanted armor.

"This is it?" Kaine asked as he saw nothing but trees." I don't see any tower here."

"I told you remember it's cloaked," Tarot reminded him." The magic hides it from you. Let me wipe it from your eyes, so you can truly see." She waved her hand in front of his face and instantly a medieval stone tower appeared in front of him.

Note to self, never doubt Tarot, when it comes to magic thought Kaine as he stared at the medieval tower." So this has been here for how long?" By the look of the decay, of the place probably since before the thirteen colonies were even colonized.

"The High Witches raised it long ago, it was a place where magic could be practice and studied without outside interference." Tarot explained as if she had memorized the answer to the question.

"Then why was it abandoned?" The place didn't look lively or cozy, but if these High Witches used it as a sanctuary to practice their magic in peace. Why would they completely abandoned the place?

"Why it was abandoned remains a dark secret to this day?" Tarot answered ominously. As if she regretted telling him.

He raised an eyebrow at that," Why is it a dark secret?"

Tarot turned to him and looked him straight in the eye," Something happened in that tower that killed most of the high witches, what that something was to this day has never been known. The surviving high witches who managed to escape the tower never spoke of what had occurred. But what we do know is that whatever it was that killed the high witches. It was terrifying enough to drive several of the survivors insane. Not long after they've reached safety." The story of the Tower of High Witchery serves as a warning to all users of the art, her mother told her. Of the dangers of trifling with powers that were never meant to used.

"Ook, we should probably move on now." Why did he have to ask?" How far do you think Raven is will go to see her plans succeed? Far enough to kill you for it?"

Before Tarot could respond, his spider senses suddenly went off," Tarot be careful. There's danger nearby." Before she could ask how he knew this the ground shook and as abruptly as it occurred. It ended.

That was it? That's what triggered his spider-senses? A lousy earthquake. His spider-senses went off again even stronger than before.

*Boom!*

The ground in front of them suddenly erupted in flames and out of the ground emerged a two headed pumpkin monster like the ones in the cemetery, but this one was over fifty feet tall and the roots that made up the monsters body were twice as thick as the ones before. And like its predecessors, it wasn't alone at least ten flying pumpkin monster with bat wings flew around him. Each of whom had multiple very sharp flaming teethes.

Before they could mount an attack the Scarlet Spider shot out two web lines at two separate flying pumpkin bats and pulled. The two pumpkin hit the ground exploding into dozens of pieces." Does your sister have some kind of pumpkin fetish?" Seriously, what is up with Tarot's sister and pumpkins.

"Not that I know of," Tarot replied, shooting a ray of yellow, magical energy from her hands. That shot down one of the pumpkin bats." Stay away from their teeth and claws! Remember, their poisonous!" She yelled back as she dashed forward towards the fifty feet tall pumpkin monster." You take care of the smaller ones, I'll handle the Guardian."

"Sure thing!"Kaine yelled out, although he didn't have much of a choice considering the remaining pumpkin bats decided on making him their prime target.

As Tarot charged the daemonic gourd. The monster arched backwards and inhales, then striking forward like a two headed dragon, it belches out a twin stream of flame to consume Tarot. With only a few short seconds for some quick gestures and a few magical words, a magical shield absorbs the daemonic hellfire at the last seconded.

Raising her sword high above her head, Tarot scratches a magical symbol into the air with fire, and as soon as the symbols complete a large orange burst of energy shoots out from the center of the symbol, completely obliterating the upper body of the twin headed monster.

With the monster taken care of Tarot turns to see if Kaine could use some help. Only to find him dusting himself off of pumpkin pieces that landed on his suit. By the goddess! He's fast.

Feeling that someone was staring at him. Kaine looks up from the stains on his suit to find Tarot staring at him wide-eyes."Oh, done already. Then I guess it's time to barge through the front door."

Tarot shook her head at that statement, "We're not going through the front doors, no doubt other monsters like the ones we faced here are waiting for us inside." That will be just like Raven having her minions patrol every inch of her home.

Damn, just when he was starting to enjoy smashing pumpkins. He now realized why so many kids liked smashing pumpkins on Halloween. But oh well. I guess it's straight to the boss fight then." Alright. After you."

Tarot said a few words then shot into the air, while the Scarlet Spider jumped onto the tower wall and wall-crawled up to the top of the tower. Tarot naturally was the first one, who reached the top. Entering through a window. She immediately set out to confront her sister," Raven! Show yourself, I know you're here!"

"Now, now my sweet sister Tarot," Raven replied stepping out from the shadows that had been hiding her." There is no need for you to shout," she chided." I'm right here, I've been waiting for your visit. What is it that concerns you so?"

"You know why am here, you must stop what you're doing!" Tarot shouted, walking towards her sister.

"Doing?" Raven repeated as if she didn't know what Tarot was referring to.

"You are putting in danger. All of witch kind with your schemes not helping it! You cannot force the hand of the goddess like this," Tarot said almost reaching her sister.

"Au contraire," Raven gleefully countered." I'm not forcing her hand. I'm merely opening the door for her." She made a discrete command, and suddenly dozens of tentacle roots shot down from the roof and ensnared themselves all around Tarot's body lifting her up into the air.

"Raven!" Tarot shouted as she struggled against the tentacle roots restraining her from using her magic." This is outrageous put us down now!"

"Us?" Raven questioned raising an eyebrow." I think you might have taken a nasty hit to the head sister. You're the only one trapped."

Tarot blinked and found her sister was telling the truth when she turned her head around and saw that Kaine was nowhere to be seen. She had assumed that he was right behind her, but apparently that wasn't the case for there was only empty space behind her.

Did he...runaway? No! That couldn't be-.

"Don't worry Tarot. I'll heal you as soon as I return from bringing forth a new age of witch kind that will enlighten all." Raven reassured as she moved to gather a few necessary ingredients for her spell." But until then you'll have to stay here."

She forced the thought Kaine out of her mind," Raven, listen to me that new age that your referring to it will not enlightened but darken. You are moving too fast!"

"How long should we wait?" Raven fired back." A year, a decade, a century? No, we've waited long enough as it is. Those who cannot cope with the change will fall victim to it." Just as those damn townsfolk did when they tried to burn down her family's home.

"Our witch creed forbids that "Do what thou will, but harm none!" you are forgetting about the second part of the law." Tarot argued hoping her sister would see reason.

"And you are forgetting the first part," Raven counted with a smirk on her face." It says" Do what thou will," not "Do not" for change to happen. One must do something first!" No one in the history of the world has changed anything by doing nothing. They all did something to change the world. Either peacefully or non-peacefully, but they acted." So don't preach the law to me, your views on the craft are different than mine. The magic you chose to ignore. I studied! While you stayed passive, I became active! I have found solutions in spell that were deemed forbidden. You can't just study one side of magic. And not the other and expect to understand the craft fully."

"Studying the darker side and practicing it are two different things Raven!" Tarot yelled."Control and responsibility lie at the heart of both. What you mistakenly call passive is actually "Harmony" you can change the world more efficiently with the gentle hand of magic then it's iron fist."

"Oh but I will little sister, I can see it now," She saw a world where the smell of roses, jasmine and bayberry incense filled the air. Where water so clean and sweet runs freely through there temple cities. Where magic is the way of life for all. Where those who are different are free to be as they are without fear of prosecution or ridicule."Ooh, it will be a perfect world where we are warmed by the smile of the goddess."

"It will be a world of screams and the only warmth, you will feel will be the flames of a second burning time!" Tarot said wrestling against her restraints." Because your actions here tonight will cause the world to fear us even more and they will start their witch hunts again. Many witches will die. All because of your impatience is that what you want!" She hoped her sister would see reason now, but that hope died the moment Raven nodded her head.

"You are wrong sister, my way will-"

"That's it!" Came a shout.

Both sisters blinked in surprise at the shout that literally appeared to come out of nowhere. Then suddenly the tentacles, that had been holding Tarot prisoner were all cut simultaneously freeing the red haired, witch. Who unfortunately, due to being released without any prior warning. Didn't have time to prepare a levitation spell so plummeted to the ground but instead of the stone floor Tarot landed in the strong arms of the Scarlet Spider.

"Kaine!" Tarot screamed in surprise, as the clone held her bride style staring menacingly at her sister. She turned to look at her sister to see Raven with a staggered look on her face.

But that look didn't last long," So you brought a friend sister. A pity it's already too late," Raven waved her hands and in a puff of green smoke vanished.

Both watched in silence as Raven made her escape," Am sorry I took so long."Kaine said, still looking at the spot where Raven disappeared, breaking the short silence that had set after Raven's escape." I should've acted sooner!" He should've known that during Raven's higher than mighty speech." But I wanted to give you a chance to talk your sister out of her undead scheme before we beat her senseless... and I figured that talk would've gone much better if I wasn't there." Obviously, he had been wrong otherwise-.

Tarot grabbed hold of Kaine's head, turned it sideways towards her and pressed her lips against his. Her sudden kiss left him stunned, but as her tongue tried to break through the fabric of his mask to enter his mouth. He started kissing her back and his worries faded away as they kissed.

XxX

( Salem-Gallows Hill Park)

With her golem ghouls carrying out her orders, Raven's thoughts focuses on the next phase of her plan. Salem the town that despised her, the town that stole her innocence, the town that killed her father! It will be the first to feel her wrath.

She observed high above a street filled with hundreds of people dressed in costumes of all kinds, and each and every last one of them were celebrating as if it were the best day of their lives. Completely oblivious to the fact that over two centuries ago. On this very night hundreds of her brothers and sisters drew their final breaths before they were burned alive at the stake. Oh, how it made her blood boil.

"Fool's!" Raven shouted out as she landed in the street," Samhain is just another game to you!" She yelled pointing at crowds who were around her. Who for some reason weren't bothered by the fact that someone just landed in front of them right out of the sky." You dress up in silly little costumes and pretend to be something you're not. On a day where hundreds of my brothers and sisters were burned alive. How insensitive can you people be?"

Either due to curiosity on what was going on or the fact that there was a almost naked gorgeous large breasted woman in front of them. The crowd kept growing bigger and bigger.

Her eyes caught sight of a woman wearing a cheap witch costume with a green plastic mask, that had a long nose and boils on it." If a green faced, witch is what you wish to be," she waved her hands."Then so be it."

The woman wearing the plastic mask suddenly felt as if someone had dumped acid on her face and screamed," AAAH!" The people around the woman looked at her oddly, yet didn't seem bothered as she screamed my face, my face, over and over again as she tried to remove the mask. That felt like it was burning itself onto her face.

Focusing her attention on the rest of the crowd," Is there not one among you that is worth the flesh you're imprinted on?!" Raven's question was answered by a large belch. She turned to see a man in a brown sweater, holding a bottle of Corona slowly wobbling his way towards her.

"Heyyy.. are those real?" The man asked staring at her chest. She couldn't tell If he was referring to her breasts, or the spike caps that covered her nipples." I bet you could poke someone's eyes out with those..heheheh!" He laughed as if he had just told the funniest joke in the world.

A wicked smirk spread across Raven's face," Exactly." She said, moving towards the man. Who grinned as she made her way towards him. Swaying her hips, which caused her breast to jiggle from the movement. His grin grew even wider when she grabbed his head and pulled him towards her enormous chest." If all you can see of me are my breasts, then," she pulls hard and impales the man's eyes on the spike caps of her top. The man screams in pain and quickly pulls away, dropping his bottle of Corona." You don't deserve to even see those!"

"My eyes!" He screamed as blood poured out of his eye sockets," I can't see! What did you do!"

The crowds gather around now react with fright at what they saw. Some of the people in the crowds began calling 911 on their phones, others slowly backed away from the scene, some of the more braver one's slowly crept up on the woman to seize her.

"You were blind, long before I did anything," Raven said with a smile, blood dripping down her breasts, as the man screamed for help. Having had enough fun she decided now was the time to finish it once and for all." People of Salem!" She shouted, as she levitated into the air." The time of man's reign is at an end! Behold your new Queen and bend to the will of my magic!" She was met with booze and curses from the crowd," So be it."

With a wave of her hands flocks of crows suddenly appeared out of nowhere and swarmed the people on the streets. Causing the crowds to erupt in panic. As the murder of crows attacked them in mass. The sudden attack drove most of the people in the crowd to flee in panic, but a brave few held their ground and tried to fight the crows off. They punched, kicked and in one case a man dressed like Ozzy Osbourne, bites a crows head off.

"That's all you got? You gray skin bitch freak!" Shouted, a dark skinned man dressed as Stevie Wonder, as he bashed several crows away with his wooden guitar." My kids give more trouble than this."

"Oh how about this?!" She threw several pumpkin seeds at the ground and instantly several of her pumpkin ghouls sprouted from the seeds and began attacking the remaining few.

"Holy shit!" Yelled the fake Stevie Wonder, dropping his guitar at the sight of the pumpkin monstrosities. I had to open my big damn mouth he thought as he ran away as fast as his legs could take him, along with the rest who stayed behind. With the pumpkin monsters hot on their heels.

"Hahaha.. run but soon there will be nowhere for you to hide in!" Raven shouted out high in the air like a mad woman." I claimed his entire world for witch kind!"

XxX

(Back with Kaine and Tarot)

Tarot blinked and suddenly realized what she's just been doing for the past ten minutes. Arms wrapped around Kaine's neck, her tongue inside his mouth, her body pressed against his and his arms wrapped around her waist. This was not how she envision this night was going to go. She roughly pulls away from Kaine," I...I am sorry. I didn't mean to... I don't know what came over me."

As he regained his bearings. Kaine didn't know what had came over him, either. One moment he was fine, but as soon as Tarot kissed him. He felt all warm and strange. But this wasn't exactly the right time to be talking about each other's feelings. Evil family member bent on resurrecting the dead and all."Um, we should probably be out looking for your sister."

"Right!" Tarot instantly agrees." Can you find her again with your spider powers?"

"Hold on," Closing his eyes. He search for Raven, and after a few seconds, fines her levitating on top of a hill." She on top of a hill. I don't know where."

But Tarot did," That must be Gallows Hill, Raven will most likely use its necro-energy to resurrect our father." It's the only place in Salem, with enough stored necro-energy for a spell of that magnitude." We'd best hurry midnight is less than an hour away."

"What about your cat? It ran away as soon as we were attacked." Kaine asked as Tarot prepared to teleported the both of them to Gallows Hill.

"No he didn't,"As if on cue Pooka flies through the tower window and lands on Tarot shoulder."But thanks for asking." He got that warm feeling again as Tarot smiled at him."Now let's go!"

Instantly, the three of them were engulfed in a golden light and disappeared.

XxX

(Salem-Gallows Hill Park)

In a flash of light. The three of them reappeared right in the entrance of Gallows Hill Park. They were greeted by the sounds of screams, followed by a choking amount of smoke and finally a strange heat that did not fit with the breezy night.

"By the goddess no!" Tarot gasped out as saw the raging fire all around the neighborhoods of Gallows Hill Park. Orange flames reached high into the night sky, flocks of crows flew overhead attacking all that catch their sight below, while pumpkin golem's of all shapes and sizes terrorized the streets below.

Tarot narrowed her eyes as she caught sight of Raven high above casting spells,"Kaine go to Gallows Hill, remove or destroy if, you must any of the items that Raven placed on it. That should be enough to prevent her from resurrecting our father."

Kaine turned to her, forcing himself away from the raging fires that he'd been staring at,"And what will you be doing?"

"Having a friendly chat with my sister,"Tarot growled out. Then shot into the air towards her sister like a thunderbolt.

Kaine watched her flyaway before then running full speed into the park. It didn't take him long to find Gallows Hill, even without the park signs leading him there. He still would've found Gallows Hill rather easily. It was the only Hill that had lit candles, a mystical book on top of a stone stool with a coffin in front of it. Oh! And about half a dozen of those pumpkin monster things guarding it...

"Yea I think I'm in the right place."

Before he could engages his suit's invisibility all six pumpkin ghouls instantly turned towards him as he hid in the shadows." So much for the stealth approach," he muttered under his breath." The way I see it. You fellas have two options." He said, stepping out of the shadows,"The first option is the easy way. Where you all return to your pumpkin patch." All six of them took a step towards him. Apparently they didn't like that option."The second option, which I'm hoping you'll choose is the hard way,' He cracks his knuckles." Which involves me making pumpkin pie out of all of you!"

All six of them roared then charged at once," Hard way it is."

XxX

(High Above Salem)

"That's right, fire burn it all away!" Raven shouted ecstatic as the town that had been the cause of her suffering and those like her burned to ashes right before her eyes."Burn it all! There won't be any use for it in the new world!"

"Raven, your rage has condemned us all!"Raven turned to find her sister floating a few feet away from her." You have given mankind, tangible reason to fear us, call off your spells before you make matters worse!"

"Stay out of this Tarot!" She didn't want to fight her own sister." I know what I'm doing. Mankind will never accept us, this is the only way!' Why couldn't her sister see that she was doing this for her, for all of their kind.

Tarot shook her head," You're wrong Raven, we will be accepted! In time!"

"You really think so?" Her sister nods her head without a moment's hesitation." Then look over there," Raven said pointing at a building below." They have made a tourist attraction out of our suffering. The Salem witch Museum has nothing in it, of our beliefs. It showcases mankind's intolerance towards witch's. That's not acceptance that's exploitation!"

"No Raven, it's an acknowledgment of their crimes," Tarot corrected her." A monument, so that they won't ever forget the crimes they've committed. So that they'll never do the same thing to another." In her heart of hearts, that's what she truly believed.

"Why are you defending them!" Raven asked frustrated by her sister." They killed our father!" Could her sister really have forgiven them that easily? After all they've done to them." I'm trying to bring him back! Don't you even care?" She cried out her resolve breaking, as her sister stared at her in disapproval. She could not let that happen. "They crushed our ancestors with stones," Raven muttered under her breath as she waved her hands and a green energy beam shot out. Aimed straight at an apartment building. Part of the building blowup, shattering debris into the air. But what goes up must come down and unfortunately what was coming down was about to land on top of several pedestrians on the street below.

"Goddess no!" Acting quickly Tarot waves her hands and casts a spell that stops all the debris." Get out of there. I can hold it for much longer!"

With her sister distracted Raven made her escape.

XxX

(Salem-Gallows Hill)

"Damn it!" Cursed the clone of Spider-Man as he noticed his suit was filled with pumpkin gunk all over." This is going to be a bitch to wash out." Muttered the clone as he made his way through a field, littered with pumpkin pieces all over. It took him a few minutes to reach the ritual site. So all have to do is either remove or destroy a single thing from here and it's all over. There's only two things to choose from. The coffin holding the little girls corpse or the ancient magical book.

He picked the coffin. No one should disturb the dead. However, before he could pick up the coffin he heard someone land behind him. Turning around he expected to see Tarot, but instead found her sister with a rather pissed off look on her face." Just who the hell are you and what do you think you're doing?" She asked, crossing her arms, which made her already large bust looked even larger.

His response to her question was a fist to the face that sent her flying straight across a field of grass filled with the remains of her pumpkin minions." How's that for an answer?"Kaine asked as he made his way towards her.

It took Raven several seconds to regain consciousness and a few more to realize what just happened. It had happened so quick! Like a flash. One moment he was standing still and in the next she'd been punched half way off Gallows Hill."Y-you..hit-ow..me." She groaned out as the pain on her face registered.

"Well, aren't you smart," Kaine replied without bothering to hide the sarcasm in his voice." We're fighting. That's what you do when you're in a fight you hit people."

"You!" Raven hissed out as she stood up, holding her face," Hit me!" She screamed as a blast of magical energy shot from her hands straight at Kaine. Who thanks to his spider senses saw coming, and quickly jumped out of the away. If Raven was, surprised by his sudden punch then she was astonished by him continuously dodging her magical attacks."It's as if he knows when and where. I'm about to attack," thought Raven as she fired another energy blast of magic, that missed.

Damn it! She was running out of time. Midnight was less than five minutes away and if she didn't perform the spell at exactly midnight, then all this would've been for nothing. She would have to wait until next year to perform the spell again.

"Hold still! Damn you!" She tried fire spells, water spells, earth's spells, lightning spells and dozens of others, but none of them worked. She even tried to turn him into a toad, but to her shock that also failed." What is he?"

As desperation set in as the clock drew ever closer to midnight an idea suddenly came to her. She didn't need to kill him as she been trying to do all along. She just needed him out of her way long enough to perform the spell... then her and her father could kill him together later.

But for her idea to work. She needed him to stand still for at least a second for the spell to work. But how?... Of course! She waited for him to get closer, closer, a little more. Perfect! She grabbed her top and ripped it open, exposing her breasts to the clone who was caught completely by surprise by the sight of her exposed breasts.

"Even her nipples are grey." He thought so distracted by her exposed chest, that he failed to react when his spider senses went off, warning him that something was about to happen. By the time the clone realized what had happened it was already to late."What the?" He was standing on a hill a second ago, and now he was standing in the middle of an empty street in front of a retail store." How the hell did I get here?"

"Kaine!" His head shot up to find Tarot flying towards him." Why are you here? Did you stop Raven?"

"No she-she," Got the better of him by exposing her tit's." She teleported me here." He answered, hoping she didn't ask for an explanation on how that happened.

"Then we better-," Tarot face suddenly went pale."Oh no."

"What!" That did not sound good.

"Where too late!"

"How can you tell?"

She pointed at the night sky above he looked up to find the moon rapidly going through all of its lunar phases until stopping at full phase.

"Ooh."

I'm kind of unhappy on how this chapter turned out. I wanted to add a lot of sexual contact, but couldn't without compromising the story's pacing, character development, realism, and world building. Originally, I had written a two page sex scene right after Kaine save's Tarot from falling onto the floor of the tower but was forced to remove due to it being too time-consuming. They have sex then go save the world in less then an hour. Really? That sounds so wrong for so many reasons.

But don't worry next chapter the sexual contact will be overwhelming plus, you'll all be in for quite a surprise when a certain tailed witch makes a surprise entrance.

Until next time!