Page 47 of Cursed
Vernon’s protective dome flickered, no longer as bright as before. Their attacks had taken a toll, badly weakening the witch-disciple, who still remained defiant.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Vernon taunted. “If you want to save Evan, you’ve got to kill me.”
Vernon looked haggard. Pax remained unconscious, but with the rest of his coven dead and Vernon unable to tap into their power, the ritual couldn’t happen. They’d saved Pax, but Vernon surely still had enough mojo to pose a serious threat one-on-one, and clearly intended to do as much damage as possible despite his impending defeat.
Teag and Rowan had stopped their attacks, but their worried expressions let Seth know what they thought about him going up against Vernon.
“I have to.” Seth hoped they could understand and resolved to see this through. “I’ve got to save Evan.”Avenge me if I fail.
“Let us bring Pax out, safe and alive,” Seth called to Vernon. “Let my friends go. I’ll fight you. Just the two of us.”
“Seth, you can’t,” Rowan protested.
“You’re also a descendant,” Teag reminded him. “He could use you like he intended to use Pax.”
“I don’t think he’s got the juice for it,” Seth replied. “And I’ve got a trick or two up my sleeve.”
Teag and Rowan clearly didn’t like the situation, but Teag gave a tight-lipped nod.
Seth met their gaze. “Get Pax and the others out of here. I’ll see you on the other side.”
“Lose your nerve, old man?” Seth taunted Vernon. “Send out Pax and let’s get this party started.”
Vernon released the manacles that held Pax suspended. He dropped to the floor, unconscious. The witch hauled Pax’s body to the edge of the dome and rolled him outside like refuse. Teag edged close enough to pull Pax clear while Rowan covered them with magical protections and helped to drag the would-be sacrifice away.
Seth feared that he wouldn’t survive his confrontation with Vernon, and rued the consequence even though it had always been a possibility.
Outside, the storm raged, feeding its power to Vernon and rattling the loose sheet steel of the abandoned plant’s roof.
How many times have I told Evan that I didn’t want to live without him? Vernon has to die for Evan to survive. That’s probably going to kill me. But for me, there’s no choice at all between saving Evan and losing him. I’m only sorry to leave him on his own.
Seth gripped the spelled knife Teag had given him, one that made his small flicker of magic more powerful. He gave a plea to Tristan over the headset for backup from the ghosts of Vernon’s victims, the spirits that surrounded them throughout the fight.
“I need your help to beat him, but if you help me, we can finally destroy Vernon and keep him from hurting anyone ever again,” Seth told Tristan. “Lend me your energy. Make me your weapon. I’ll be your vengeance.”
“Please don’t let him win.”
Everything seemed to happen at once. Ghosts swept through Seth, chilling him to the bone, gathering strength from Tristan’s necromancy and Seth’s life energy. They swarmed toward Vernon like a roiling gray cloud.
If the ghosts destroyed Vernon before Seth was completely drained dry, Seth won—and both saved Evan and survived the fight. If not, Seth wouldn’t be around to feel his loss.
Vernon wanted a fight to the death. Seth brought him one, although from how Vernon recoiled, clearly the dark witch had felt it was a sucker’s bet.
Vernon just never expected to be the sucker.
Seth saw the glint of silver at Vernon’s throat. He seized the moment while Vernon was caught off guard by the ghosts’ attack. Seth lunged to grab the amulet’s chain and yank ithard enough to cut flesh, snapping the chain and sending the protective talisman flying out of Vernon’s reach and into the shadows of the old plant.
It’s time. Seth silently repeated the memorized spell from the grimoire. He felt a wave of nausea as the magic responded, and he focused on the blade Teag had given him. It began to glow. The dark magic Seth worked helped further drain Vernon’s power and his life energy, opening a rip in the protective bubble. He hoped it was enough to give him the chance to kill Vernon with the bespelled knife. The vampiric spell drew from Seth’s life energy as well as Vernon’s, and carried the taint of blood magic, downsides Seth was willing to accept if he could save Evan and Pax.
Thanks to Tristan’s necromancy, Seth let him take over marshaling the spirits of Vernon’s prior sacrifices, who filled the abandoned factory, angry and ready for vengeance.
Flurries of consciousness brushed Seth’s mind in the onslaught of ghosts. With Vernon weakened and caught off guard by the destruction of his anchor and the loss of his amulet, the spirits of his victims from his century-long existence seized their chance for vengeance as Tristan strengthened their manifestation.
Apparently, Vernon had never considered them a danger since he took no measures to dispel them. Now, they formed an angry storm cloud eager for recompense.
Too many to count.
Seth knew these had to be only a fraction of the souls Vernon had sacrificed or caused to die from his other illegal activities. Some had, no doubt, abandoned revenge and gone on to their final rest. Others likely faded into a faint shadow of self, unable to take action.
