Chapter 437: Sorcery
-someone was screaming, a name I thought, but it took me a moment to break free of the hold Iepa's vision had over me. As I spun, Trill beside me, half-falling from the stone slab, her arms outstretched toward the exit and the stairs, my body compressed and shifted, power crushing me.
Instinct took over, shields snapping into place, reinforced even as I finally realized, in the split second I needed to adjust, it was Trill's high-pitched cry I heard.
"OWEN!"
The chamber was crowded, or felt that way. Hadn't we been alone only a moment before? No longer, not with Liam and Galleytrot staring in horror, Meira holding Sassafras, grim, tears on her cheeks though she stood her ground. Even Sebastian hovered near, his vampire body glowing white.
None of it mattered. None of them. Not while the young sorcerer stood at the entry with his eyes pitch black, mouth gaping, a hole of nothing while his power pulled me toward him.
Even through my shields, past layers of demon and Sidhe magic, blowing away witch and vampire too. Until I struggled to remain standing, my eyes dimming, the air itself, once aglow with the light of the maji now being devoured by the boy at the door.
Liam flung himself at Owen as I fell to one knee, trying to fight back, no longer thinking offensively, but simply about surviving whatever was happening to him. I could hear it now, the rushing sound of life leaving, of light and goodness being swallowed by the dark.
My Sidhe friend seemed to hang motionless for a moment as time slowed down, stilled, quieted. It was almost a shock when it sped up again, accompanied by Liam's flying form, tossed back like a rag doll from the black engulfing more and more of Owen. Trill continued to scream, but I didn't have the energy to focus on her. Not when Sebastian, face set and power flaring, made a grab for the boy, only to cry out and retreat, panting, skin shriveled and wasted for a heartbeat before it returned to normal.
This couldn't be it, the moment of betrayal. Could it? I'd been caught with my pants around my proverbial ankles, lost in some fiction woven by the maji while the world was falling apart around me. After everything I'd done, every evil I'd faced, I couldn't believe I was about to fall to a boy who I was trying to save.
My demon whimpered, struggling against his power draw where once she roared. Shaylee passed out a moment later while the vampire core of me retreated, hiding herself away. I hardly blamed her, though the family magic stayed by me, pumping out of me, a ruptured energetic artery. I could feel the coven reaching for me, trying to support me, but I shoved them away, blocked myself off. If I was going to fall, so be it. Gram had the other half of the family's power. At least some of it would survive.
Diminished, weak and failing, I collapsed against the pedestal, Trill's hand touching mine.
Wait, she was whole, untouched. I could feel her power inside. More. Better.
I could feel mine. The maji in me, stirring, waking, rising to the surface.
Desperate, I dove into Trill's mind. We have to stop him.
She met my eyes, all thought gone, her body shimmering with rainbow light though she didn't act, her mind empty of all but terror and loss. What was wrong with her?
Fine. I'd do it on my own.
There wasn't much, but it would have to be enough. I teased the maji energy forward, felt around the edges of this creation magic I'd never known lived inside me. Welcomed the stir of the vampire essence as she answered to the warming maji power until strength returned. Enough I could kneel. Stand. Stagger a step forward. Another.
Owen's body shook, a thin cloud of black mist formed around him, thickening by the moment as my friends, magic all, withered and fell as I had. Sparkling energy shone over my shoulder and I turned, caught sight of Trill as she slid free of the pedestal, face now a mask of calm as though some kind of switch had flipped. She approached slowly, a glittering torch of iridescence, the light reaching for the shadow.
This cannot be! Iepa's mental voice reached mine. You must stop them, Sydlynn Hayle, or your world is ended now!
She didn't have to tell me twice. No time for prayer the power I'd found would be enough. Instead, I put myself between them, both hands plunging into the black cloud consuming everything, including Owen, and pushed him back, using every ounce of power and muscle I had.
He held his ground, a rock, a mountain, the mist tugging at me, suctioning to my skin, my hair and clothing. Vile, filthy, hungry, it pulled me close, wanting to swallow me whole.
I pushed harder.
Owen's feet slid over the rock, the pressure finally winning as I dug and begged and wept for more strength. Just a little more-
His collapse caught me off guard, sending me tumbling forward on top of him as his feet slid back over the joint of stone marking the entry to the room. Owen crumpled completely, black cloud dissipating in a reeking puff of charred smoke and burning rubber, the scent of destruction and death gone so quickly it felt like I'd dreamed it all. In a rush that made me high and giddy, all of my magic returned, flooding me with so much power I found myself giggling on the edge of hysteria.
Trill fell to her knees next to me, trying to pull me from her brother's unconscious form, but I shoved her away.
"Don't even think about touching him." I didn't mean to be harsh, but we'd almost lost everything, at least according to Iepa's warning, and I wasn't about to allow the two of them a second round.
Liam limped to me, lifted Owen into his arms while favoring his right ankle. "I'm okay," he said. "But we need to get him out of here." Liam paused, distress making him seem very young. "Syd, I'm sorry. This is my fault. I should never have brought Owen here."
I shook my head, letting my power settle, feeling someone rattling against my shields with increasing insistence. Yeah, knew who that was. But I wasn't in the mood to have Gram yell her head off at me.
I'm fine. I flashed her a tight show of what just happened, through a barely-there break in my wards. She tried to worm her way in but I was quicker. Just let me handle this.
After a moment, she backed off. Amazing. Or, it meant I was in a whole heap of trouble and she was saving it for when she could get her hands on me.
Lovely.
I turned to Sebastian as Liam began to climb, only to see fury flicker across his face. Why was he angry? Yes, this could have been a disaster, but we'd taken care of it.
If only. "They're here." Before he could explain his cryptic comment, Sebastian flickered into shadow and vanished.
Thing was, he didn't need to explain. I knew exactly who "they" were.
I ran after him, racing up the stairs past Liam, Trill hanging from my Sidhe friend, her eyes locked on her still unconscious brother while Meira and Sassafras chased me, Charlotte bringing up the rear with one hand firmly grasping the back of Demetrius's neck.
Funny, I hadn't seen him during the whole Owen meltdown. Part of me snapped in anger. Surely he, as a sorcerer, could have stopped the boy. And yet, was the old Chosen leader in any mental state to even comprehend what just happened?
No time to deal with him just then. Not when I finally left the maji chamber and reached for the veil, leaping into it for a mere blink before storming out at the front door of the mansion to stand at Sebastian's side.
Where the Brotherhood stood waiting.
***
