Page 92 of Magic Touch
I'm here, William. She's put up walls to keep something away. I can't reach her pain.
Keep trying, my love.
"Trina, we only want to bring you back where you belong, and keep you safe."
The crying starts again, and I head in that direction. Despite the darkness, I can make out the form of a girl lying in the mud. I draw closer.
She's curled in a ball in muck that reminds me of the killing fields in France. I swallow the memory. "Trina, take my hand. Let me take you out of there."
Haunted eyes look at me. "He will kill me and send me to a place worse than hell. I cannot come out. I must stay here and hope he forgets about me."
This is not the confident girl who came to the cottage and taught me magic. I have no notion if any of that was Trina. This is a shell of a person, terrified of whatever haunts her.
"Who is it you fear?" I kneel at the edge of the muck.
She shakes her head as though even thinking of telling me will suck her under.
I touch the black mud, slimy and hot. "Come out of there. Let me help you. Let Esme heal you."
A wild smile pulls at her raw lips. Her hair is black with mud, and smudges mar her pale skin. "He's coming for you both, you know. He waited for you to become, and now he sees you are ready to serve. He'll come for you as he came for me, and we will all die or serve."
"No one is coming for me, Trina. I will fight and maybe die, but I'll not go to darkness, nor will Esme. Let us bring you back to the light." I reach out again.
Tentatively, she lifts one arm and reaches her hand to mine.
Her touch burns. Fire licks up my arm.
"It's not real, William!” Esme screams in my head.
Trina must feel the fire too, as she tries to pull away, but I hold fast to her hand and drag her from the filth.
Esme's magic flows over me in a fight against the fire consuming my flesh.
I wrap Trina in my arms. "We're getting out of here, Trina. Hold on."
Cool relief floods my body.
Trina relaxes.
The dark clouds lift from her mind.
Light pours in from the bedroom window. Minerva and Sara Beth are on either side of me holding me up. My body is soaked with sweat, and I can still feel the pain of burned flesh. My hands are bright red, but it's easing away as reality comes back into focus.
Someone behind me pushes a chair against my legs, and I gratefully sit.
The ladies back away and let Esme round the bed and wrap me in a hug. "I thought I'd lose you both." She peppers kisses on my cheeks and forehead.
Sara Beth shakes her head, and her voice trembles. "That was quite a risk for a girl who tried to kill you both."
Eyes light brown and clear, Trina's gaze meets mine. She blinks, and her voice is raw. "Thank you."
I take her hand and squeeze it. "No one should be left in such a place. Tell us who did this to you."
In the barest whisper, she says, "Orin."
Sara Beth kneels by the bed and brushes Trina's hair from her face with a delicate touch. "Orin Sallows is in Kent?"
Tears stream down Trina's face, and she closes her eyes on a nod.
