Page 63 of Twisted Fates
“Now, Karkadann, you can embed your little Re’em friend here with some energy, can you not? We need him ready for the spell that comes.”
Shadow nodded, and it appeared as if she smiled slightly. She came toward me, transforming as she did into some bizarre antelope thing with black scales. She looked more like a dragon but for the long, inky black horn that protruded from her head.
The moment she got to where I was lying, she lowered the horn and stuck me in the belly. I felt the pain first, then warmth flowed into me. With it, I heard the words, “Don’t worry, I’m on your side, but don’t let anyone know!”
She pulled back, and even in my dream state, the world went dark.
Chapter forty-seven
Damian
The trail was hiddenfrom us, which was utterly frustrating. How could that stupid vampire hide his trail from me?
We wandered around the yard until Cary showed up. Frustrated, I finally remembered my phone had buzzed earlier. I pulled it out of my pocket and opened it to see the message was from Owen. My heart contracted.
“We have to find him,” I said, fear overcoming me.
The four witches looked at me sadly. Cary placed his hand on my shoulder. “Try not to let Owen’s kidnapping get to you too much. We need you to stay focused, okay?” he asked, but nothing anyone said could make me less anxious about losing Owen.
Mr. Stages had been right. I was in love with him and wanted him back so I could protect him and love him for the restof our lives.
Cary froze as something appeared behind me. “Um, I think that’s for you,” he said and nodded in that direction.
I turned and saw a very wary ghost standing just a few feet away. “Tell them not to approach, or I will leave!” the young woman said.
“If you’re here to help, they won’t harm you. They’ve taken an oath.”
That seemed to mollify the ghost enough that she approached me. “The spirits from here to Seattle are working together to find your guy. We think we know where he is,” she said, giving me hope for the first time since we found the car.
“Where? Show us!” I demanded, and she put her hand on mine.
“Follow me,” she said and disappeared. I could still feel her though. When she’d touched me, she’d imprinted on me how to sense her, something I didn’t know ghosts could do.
I nodded at the witches beside me and, using my staff, cast the spell to pull all of us behind the ghost. I could feel the witches’ skepticism, but I couldn’t help but think that was their prejudice weighing in. I had no reason not to trust the ghost, especially if she’d come to me with witches, her most ardent enemy, to help us find Owen.
When we landed at the site of an old house, which was basically a hole with mud walls and a roof that had long ago collapsed, another spirit of an ancient old man stared out into the distance. “They’re up to no good out there,” he said, turning toward me.
He sized up the witches and sighed. “No need to push me through that confounded veil. I’m willing to go on my own.”
“Not tonight, you don’t have to. The witches have vowed not to bother anyone in my service who helps me tonight to save my boyfriend. You qualify as that, sir.”
“Boyfriend, you say? As in a man?” he asked, and I cringed, ready to hear a lecture about homosexuality. I nodded, though, and the old man smiled. “So nice things have changed. In my day, I couldn’t have a boyfriend or even admit I had one. I suspect that’s why I’m still here, still searching for a way to reconcile all I lost in that time.”
I smiled at the old man and would’ve liked to console him, but there was still too much at stake. “Thank you. I am forever in your debt.”
“Go get your man. I’ll stay here and watch. Whatever’s out there has created a boundary not even I can get past.”
I nodded, then looked at my witch friends. “How do you propose we proceed?” I asked.
“Carefully,” Mr. Harrison replied instantly.
The wave of darkness hit us, and I knew we’d already been detected. “Brace for it!” I said just as the second wave hit. This time, fully intending to cause us harm.
My staff was already in my hand, and I shielded us from the worst of the blast. The four witches surrounded me then, each taking a spot in a formation very much like the four points of a compass: north, south, east, west. That’s all I needed to know to understand what theywanted from me.
I drew my power from them as they drew it in from each direction. Mr. Stages stood to the north, and the energy that flowed through him and into the staff was powerful. Mr. Harrison stood to the south, and it, too, was powerful enough to fight any enemy we might face.
East and West held their powers, as well. Cary was holding the western flank. The energy grew the longer we stood, and nothing the dark sent at us was remotely strong enough to intercede until a magical arrow pierced through the protections and slammed into me.
