Chapter 313: Loss Of A Friend
I ignored the Enforcers. Blocked out Quaid's cold, angry words to them. Felt myself guided into the front seat of the family van. Accepted the hands belting me in. Held myself rigid and still, telling myself as long as I kept everything together things would be fine, just fine, Alison would be...
Fine.
But she wasn't fine. Not from the aching energy of Galleytrot's power, the subtle hum of him like a gathering rainstorm. Not from the gentle way Quaid held my hand after he climbed behind the wheel and slammed the door, closing the Enforcers and the world off from the rest of us. Not from the roughness of Sassy's tongue as he leaped into my lap and bathed my cheek in kisses before turning, balanced on my legs, looking out the window, my little sister crying softly in the back seat.
No. This was wrong, couldn't be right, couldn't be happening.
Was. Not.
The drive took forever and no time at all. How did we arrive so quickly at the edge of the lake when it seemed like time didn't move? I'd been lost somewhere in my memory, hearing a girl's laughter, the way she tossed her blonde ponytail, the wink of her blue eyes. When the door opened next to me I jumped at the intrusion, almost angry someone broke the past, shattering it around me.
Shattering my heart all over again.
Quaid's face was calm, sad, but full of love. I let him unhook my belt, unable to make my hands work, my fingers fumbling at the clasp like it was a foreign thing. Power rippled past the van outside, two Enforcers arriving.
I hated them suddenly, felt myself lunge from the seat, screaming at them, power building. My demon surged forward, her fire blazing even as Shaylee sent me every last scrap of what she had, my witch magic, the power of the family, forming a massive column of magic I wanted, needed to use on someone.
Anyone.
The Enforcers would do.
They backed off, eyes huge. Someone yelled my name, hands on me, pulling me back. I couldn't scream anymore, my throat was too raw, my voice cracking, stumbling like my body wasn't my own. I fell forward into supporting arms, sobs escaping me, so vast and hurtful I just wanted to die.
Syd. Quaid's voice reached me, inside me. Please, Syd. This was a mistake, bringing you here. Let me take you home.
I pulled away from him, staggered backward. Swiped at the wet on my face, tears and mucus, as I fought to shove off the horrible pressure weighing on my chest, making it impossible to take a deep breath.
No.
I turned toward the water, felt Galleytrot's magic guide me, found the faint trail of tires, followed it all the way to the lake's edge. Sank to my knees, reaching, reaching with my mind, my heart, searching for her.
Alison! ALISON!
I found her, touched what remained of her even as my eyes finally penetrated the surface of the water, the rising sun behind me allowing enough light I could just catch the glint of red plastic from her tail lights, make out the PRTYGRL license plate.
Everything stopped. And another piece of my soul went dark.
"It's my fault." The words came out before I could stop them. Not that I would have stopped them. There was no way to hide this truth. "It's all my fault she's dead."
I heard Charlotte's accented voice speaking to the police. Felt the power of the Enforcers draw near. Whispered apologies for my loss from one, an angry hiss from the other before their presence left me.
Good. They needed to be gone. We all did. Before the real world came to pull Alison out of the lake.
Quaid lifted me bodily from the ground even as I clung with my magic to the shape under the water, ran my power though flowing hair, waited inside for the hint of a heartbeat. I didn't fight him, let him belt me back in, accepted Sassafras's weight on my legs, Meira's hand taking mine from her seat behind me.
"I'll stay and wait," he said. "Charlotte will take you home. Syd." He cupped my face in his hands. "I'll be right back, I promise. But someone needs to be here."
I nodded. It should be him. Someone who knew her. Charlotte was driving away before I could say anything, do anything. I watched him in the side mirror, growing smaller and smaller, the big black dog at his side.
Charlotte guided me inside the house, sat me down at the kitchen table and shooed my crying sister into a seat of her own before making me a cup of tea. Sunlight streamed in the windows, warming my bare feet. I'd lost my shoes somewhere along the way. No matter. I had lots of shoes.
But I was all out of Alisons.
The sobbing started almost as an afterthought, the sound of it too much for my aching head. My stomach rolled over, heaving in grief, but there was nothing to come up. Sassafras's steady power slid around me, held me gently, as he let me weep.
The coven reacted as though they'd taken a blow, their power surging toward me as their sadness joined mine.
Only one witch didn't add her condolences.
Pull yourself together. I knew that voice, hated it. The coven matters more than one mere mortal.
My entire body jerked as the family magic chased down the connection between me and Celeste, the coven at my side, gathered as witnesses. I ignored them, focused on my fury at her arrogance. I saw her vividly as the energy slammed into her. Suddenly I was with her, my spirit in her house, watching as she rocked backward in her chair, crashing to the floor. She stared at me in utter terror for the first time and I wanted to laugh and sob and choke the life out of her.
I drove my power into her, jabbing her physically in the gut over and over as I spoke.
Stay. The. Hell. Away. From. Me.
She gasped for breath, clawing at the floor, trying to pull herself out of my range, but I was limitless, her weak and pathetic magic battering at me as though it were merely a breeze. The coven stayed with me, not supporting her, on my side no matter my choice. It made what I wanted to do so much easier.
Stop! Her mental voice clawed at me. You can't kill me!
Why not? I let my demon out, felt her snarl and chuff and circle the horse-faced witch with deadly eagerness. This is my coven now. I can do whatever I want.
Celeste gaped at me. Please.
I did laugh then. It was impossible not to.
Stay out of my way. And if you do anything, anything to harm me or the rest of this family, make one more move against me, I swear, Celeste, you will die. And it will take a long time for me to finish.
I jerked away from her, cutting her off, sealing her magic around her.
Sit. Stay. Bad dog.
The family magic locked her in place, my order trapping her in her home until I let her go.
Or she disobeyed and lost access to the family magic.
Either way, I won.
The coven's magic rejoiced, a magical party going off in my head. I had no idea how many of the family hated her guts. I just wished it felt good to me. But all I could do when I ricocheted back into my body was bend in half, crushed by guilt, and gush my grief into the sunlight.
It was so easy to retreat, to pull away, to hide inside. But they wouldn't let me. The coven remained at my side, feeling my need to escape. As I struggled to bury myself in the hurt, they drew me out again, their power and love sheltering me, giving me a place to fall apart and grieve.
With their magic linked to mine, the pain eased far more quickly than I ever expected it could, although nothing they could do would make me feel less guilty. Over and over they sent waves of love and healing to me, refusing to leave me alone until I pulled myself together, my heart beginning the healing process.
This was what it meant to be part of a coven, this unconditional support. I'd felt hints of it before, but never the full force. They made it very clear they didn't think me weak, shared in my deep feeling of loss and offered me the very essence of themselves as a means to keep me grounded.
My sobbing ceased, tears dried, the dull ache in my chest all that remained of the weight of Alison's loss. I let my family go, one at a time, with hugs and magic kisses and so much gratitude I almost started crying again.
When the last of them had gone, there was Gram. I'd not noticed her presence, so comfortable and familiar was the feeling of her mind in mine. Knowing she was there was a trigger, my tears starting up anew, but without the wrenching agony. Gram held me, rocked me with her power, voice humming a soft, wordless lullaby while I collapsed completely and let her soothe the last of my pain away.
Thank you. I sent her a mental kiss. I'll be okay.
This was not your fault. She'd found my guilt, pulled it out, made me examine it carefully. There was nothing you could have done.
I wished I believed her. And perhaps she was right after all. I'd known all along I couldn't fix my friend. And she'd tried to commit suicide before, so the fact of her loss wasn't as much of a shock as the reality. But I knew if I'd just spoken to her, found a moment to hold onto her, Alison would still be alive.
Gram sighed and let me go, I guess unwilling to push me too hard. Bless her. I really wasn't in the state of mind to argue.
I sagged back into my seat, hand lifting to stroke Sassy's soft fur. Time to look up, to take notice of the world around me. How the sunlight warmed my bare, dirty feet. The fact Meira was gone, her soft footfalls retreating up the stairs to her room. How Charlotte just stood there and watched me like she was certain I needed to be guarded.
Maybe I did.
"Thank you," I whispered to her, one hand sliding over Sassafras, the other warmed by the heat of the teacup. "For getting me home."
"I'm sorry for your loss." There was sympathy in her voice, but a strength I needed to hear. A hint of something wild and lost, of open grasslands and hunting prey. I looked up and met her eyes.
Wolf eyes. She let the were in her slide away, human gaze returning. "My pack mourns with yours."
I couldn't speak. But I didn't need to. Her quiet was as welcome as her support.
A spark of electricity jumped between my hand and the silver fur I caressed. The moment it did I felt the fog of the last hour or so lift as someone's power dove into my head, the familiar feeling of Martin Vega's magic barreling into me.
SYD!
I was on my feet, running, out the door, down the street, bare feet slapping on the pavement, chest heaving for air.
SYD!
They were both there, Martin and Louisa, in my mind, screaming for me, begging me to come. While around them fire raged.
SYD!
Flames crackled and roared, their pain reaching me through their mental connection, my throat burning with spent tears and the taste of smoke, though I yet ran in clear air. I felt their magic battling the fire, felt its heart rage at their touch and climb higher, hungrier, enveloping everything.
My whole body seared with heat as I pounded around the corner, the climbing column of black smoke over the row of houses ahead turning to a full-on blaze as the Vega's house came into view. It was engulfed, swallowed whole by crackling death.
Syd. Only a whisper now. Barely a touch, though they writhed in agony, holding each other, falling, falling. Dying from the smoke in their lungs and the flames consuming them.
I held onto them, panting in great, wheezing gasps, throwing my magic at the house, at the flames, fighting to douse the devouring fire. But everything I did only made it worse, fed it. I felt the fire laugh as though it were alive, churning, eating up everything it touched with savage joy.
The Vegas died, held tightly to me, their spirits pulling free, fleeing from the flames. I let them go, for the second time that day sinking to my knees and sobbing.
But I wasn't alone. The family had come, all of them, hurrying to meet me. Strong hands found me, pulled me up. Quaid hugged me tight, his whole body shaking, tears of his own pouring down his handsome face, dark eyes amber from the reflected fire.
The heat was unbearable, but I refused to back away. We all did what we could, our power fighting to put out the flames, but there was nothing we could do.
Nothing.
The fire continued to burn, devouring everything, and we could only stand and watch it burn.
***
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