Chapter 44: Betrayed
I don't know if I would have stayed there and let Dominic take us at knifepoint, but I didn't get to find out.
The part of the shield generated by our mother seized on the scorching power of my demon and freed her to act.
My demon roared. Everything went to slow motion. I barely took the time to bend as I simultaneously lifted Meira into my arms and spun, taking the hallway at a dead run from a full stop before I even had a chance to know I moved. I had no idea what was happening behind me and really didn't care.
Time sped up back to normal as I slammed open the front door and hit the sidewalk running, Meira clutched desperately to my chest. I didn't know where I was going, what I would do when I made it there or even how I would figure any of that out. All I could focus on, breathe in, feel in every corner of me, was flight.
If it hadn't been for the spell of protection, I would have stayed behind to fight. But the compulsion to protect my sister was so powerful I had to get away, get us away, and consider our options later.
We made it six blocks before I even thought about slowing. I glanced back over my shoulder but there was no one there, no panting Dominic Moromond with his bloody knife chasing us down the street, no thread of snake-like magic pursuing us.
Still, I ran some more. And some more. I ran until my lungs ached, my breath came in short, heavy panting gasps, until Meira's weight threatened to drive me to my knees.
I finally ground to a halt in an unfamiliar part of town, collapsing on a bench with my sister still clinging to me. I tried to get my breath as I listened to her cry.
"We have to go back!" Her little arms unwound from around my neck so she could pound on my chest with her delicate fists.
I didn't even have the strength to stop her. "Meems, we can't," I said, speaking an effort. "We can't."
"We have to!" She struggled with me. I let her go. She hit her feet and grabbed my hand, trying with her whole body weight to pull me up from the bench.
I let her struggle as I caught my breath and wondered what the hell I was going to do.
I briefly considered going to Alison's, but dropped that idea pretty quick. There was no way I could involve normals in our mess. I was at a total loss. Batsheva still controlled the coven. Now that she trapped my mother, there was no one left to fight her. I was pretty sure the missing Celeste and Erica already fell victim to her themselves. I had a brief pang as I admitted I abandoned Gram to the Moromonds but knew the spell wouldn't have let me stop for her.
I pulled against Meira who grunted with the effort to make me get up. I manhandled her back into my lap and hugged her until she fell still.
"Meems," I whispered into her hair. "We can't go back."
"I know," she whispered back, face buried in my shirt. "What are we going to do?"
I had no idea what to say.
The screeching of tires saved me from having to come up with an answer. A shiny silver Volvo rocked to a halt as Jared roared up and jumped out of the car. I leapt to my feet, ready to run, Meira clinging to me.
"Syd!" He stopped on the edge of the sidewalk, hands up, expression distressed. "It's okay, Syd. It's just me."
"So what," I snapped. "It's you, Jared. And we're supposed to trust you just like that?"
He backed off. "Okay, yeah, right. Sorry. You have no reason to trust any of us right now, do you?"
"Not really, no," I told him.
"I know," he held out his hands again, eyes pleading. "But, please, Syd. You have to come with me."
"Why?" I was ready to run all night if I had to. But something about the way he asked made me pause.
"Because," he said. "There is no one else."
I reached out to him, felt around his edges, but he was clean, or at least as clean as Jared ever felt.
"Where do you want to go?" I asked.
"For help," he said. "There's another coven near here, a couple of towns over. They aren't as powerful as ours, but..." he trailed off. "Maybe they can do something."
I didn't point out our family wasn't exactly as strong as it used to be either. Instead, I debated.
"Syd," he said. "Please."
I wavered. I couldn't run forever. I had to find somewhere safe for Meira. For both of us. His idea sounded like a good one. If we could get word to the High Council about the Moromonds, maybe they could send some Enforcers to help. The thought of having those steely, hardened warrior witches sweep in and take out Batsheva and Dominic gave me a shiver of pleasure.Besides, this was Jared. I knew him, liked him. I could trust him. Couldn't I?
"Have you contacted them yet?" I asked him.
"No," he said. "I wasn't sure if calling was a good idea. I figured it would be best to see them in person."
He was right. There was no way they would believe the Hayle coven was so completely torn apart. We were too powerful for that.
I stood there with the weight of my little sister in my arms, torn. The problem was, as much as I wanted to do it, the spell made it harder to choose. It wasn't just my own welfare I was worried about. I had Meira's to guard too. Finally, I made my mind up and hoped my decision was the right one.
"All right," I said to him, feeling calmer now that I had a plan. "Let's go."
Jared's face shone with relief. He went to the passenger door and opened it for me. I climbed in with Meira still in my arms and pulled the seatbelt over both of us. Jared climbed in the driver's side and started the engine.
"It won't take long," he said. "I'll drive fast."
I tipped my head back against the seat, feeling the tension drain from me as he hit the gas. This was Jared, our Jared, Erica's Jared, trusted, loved and my friend. We were safe with him. I rubbed Meira's back over and over as the streetlights flashed by, emptying my mind, trying to rest.
I felt her body tense. She was still pressed to me, her face over my shoulder. What I saw in her eyes made me afraid.
"Syd," she whispered. Her gaze flickered into the back. I took a deep breath and braced myself. I looked quickly before I lost my nerve.
A heavy wool blanket covered most of the seat, but it was oddly shaped, almost lumpy. It took time for my brain to recognize there was something under the covering, something long and shaped like a person.
The next streetlight caught the gloss of Erica's staring eyes. I couldn't help myself. I started to scream.
***
