A Power of Old(4)

We watched, open-mouthed, as Benedict slowly raised his hand toward the wall on the far side of the room. The gray stones—centuries old—started to shift and rattle in the mortar. Dust started to cascade down the wall, then got swept up and blown in our faces. I shielded my eyes as they started to water, and through the blur of tears, I saw Tejus collapse—hitting the floor hard, with a heavy thump. Hazel jerked, almost as if his hurt was hers, but didn’t move from her corner of the room.

Clearly Benedict had been syphoning off him, and apparently found him unsatisfactory. I held my breath, knowing that one of us would be next.

Yelena opened her mouth in a silent scream.

At the same time, the stones in the wall blew apart, sending shards ricocheting off the walls and skidding across the floor. A large piece catapulted toward Hazel, who bent double in pain as it slammed into her.

I looked back at the wall, and once the debris and dust cleared, small, bright stones of different tones and hues flickered in a pattern like Christmas tree lights. I didn’t know if it was my imagination or not, but the stones looked as if they were humming and moving of their own accord—like they were alive.

Ash pulled me backward, moving us aside as Benedict started to walk across the room. Yelena was panting heavily now, her body growing limp as if it were an effort to stand. I let go of Ash’s hand and held her to me, trying to keep her upright. The malevolent smile was still plastered across Benedict’s face. Suddenly I felt unaccountably angry, and it took away the fear that had been pounding through me ever since I’d laid eyes on Hazel. I wanted to wipe that smug smile off Benedict—or the entity’s—face.

How DARE you!

I was sick of fending off disasters, constantly under attack, from one evil of Nevertide to the next. I jerked forward, forgetting myself and the fact that I was next to useless against the power of the entity. Ash grabbed hold of me around the waist, tightening his grip.

I watched, frustratingly helpless, as Benedict reached up and took one of the bright stones from the wall. When he touched it, it shone brighter than the rest—a sickly yellow light that bathed us all in its glow. With perfectly measured and relaxed movements, Benedict pocketed the stone in his robe. Turning, he walked back across the room and disappeared through the doorway. I heard the clunking of his footsteps on the stone staircase that led to the tower, and then nothing.

Julian slammed the door shut. Yelena’s body gave way, and Ash caught her before she fell to the floor. He carried her over to the sofa and placed her on it. Tejus started to rise as well, using the wall beside him to balance.

How did he even get here—by bird?

Not able to wait another moment, I pulled the door open and hurtled up the steps to the tower.

Breathless, I reached the top in record time, but as I looked around I saw nothing, not even a tell-tale shadow in the sky that would indicate he’d escaped with a vulture. It was as if he’d completely disappeared into thin air.

Is that even possible?

Under the control of this mysterious entity, maybe anything was possible.

The wind had died completely, and the night was silent. I was about to turn around and go back inside when I heard the scatter of small stones coming from below me on the tower.

I leaned over the balustrade, and looked down. In the moonlight, I could just make out a dark figure, scuttling down the wall as if it was no effort at all. I leaned a little further out, disbelieving. Suddenly it stopped, looking up at me, Benedict’s face pale in the moonlight, with a smug, evil smile, staring right back at me.

After a pause, he continued his journey. As I turned away from the side of the tower, I couldn’t help but think Benedict had just lost any part of him that was still human.





Rose





An hour later, our joy at finding the portal was becoming short-lived. Corrine and the other witches were doing all that they could, but the thick, tar-like substance wasn’t budging. Corrine was getting tired, her face gradually losing its color as she did everything within her power to force it open.

The sea was becoming choppier as the sun started to set. The waves were leaping up and smacking against the floats of the sea plane and soaking the interior. I could taste sea salt in my mouth, making me thirsty. Caleb clutched my hand tightly—he hadn’t let go since the discovery of the portal. I had naïvely thought that all our problems would be solved the moment we saw the portal, but when had anything been that simple? Especially when it came to the supernatural—there was always an unexpected cost, a trick, a hidden motive.

This was just a small setback, I reassured myself. It happens all the time.

It just didn’t usually happen when my children were involved.