by Mary Swift
“We have to keep looking.”
“I wish I could see through the walls here.”
Arden recognized a chair from the second floor, it was at the highest point of the debris pile partly covered in the curtains from the nursery. His foot slipped again.
“You’re going to break your neck.” Logan told him.
“I can’t leave, not yet.” Just then Arden heard something. It was a low whimper. “What was that?”
“I didn’t hear anything.”
Arden strained his ears. It was hard to hear with the cries from the frantic enchanters in the circle and the strange humming noise coming from the council hall. He thought he might have been mistaken and then he heard it again.
“Someone is under here.” He scrambled over the wreckage, turning his ankle several times as he went higher and higher.
Logan followed him. “I didn’t hear anything.”
Arden began pulling away pieces of wooden paneling. “Can you hear me?” he shouted.
There was a moan.
“I just heard it.” Logan said. He grabbed a broken table and threw it aside.
It took them a while to dig down through the rubble. Logan cut his hand badly on a smashed mirror and Arden slipped again causing his foot to get jammed in between two boards. A few minutes later they lifted a porcelain sink off of Constantine’s back.
“We’re going to get you out of there.” Arden told him.
“Maybe we shouldn’t move him.” Logan said.
Constantine groaned. “Leah.”
Arden looked around. She must be nearby.
Logan touched his arm. “She’s underneath him.”
Arden saw that he was right. A tiny hand was sticking out from beneath Constantine’s chest. They lifted Constantine up as carefully as they could, he was badly injured. Lying on a pillow underneath Constantine was Leah. She coughed and then began to cry. Logan picked her up. “She seems all right.”
“Let’s look for the housekeeper.” Arden suggested.
“She’s dead.” Constantine said. “Is the baby alive?”
“Yes.” Logan said. “You saved her life.”
“You’re going to be all right.” Arden told Constantine.
“My chest hurts.”
“Killian is here, he’s in the council hall. There’s something going on with the Founders, they are all here. He’ll heal you.”
Constantine grimaced. “Where’s Rowan?”
“I don’t know.”
“We’re going to move you to the cathedral.” Arden said.
Constantine’s face twisted up in pain. “I’m probably going to die.”
“You’re not going to die.” Arden told him. “I promised to protect you and I will. What you did for Leah is remarkable.”
“I’m not useless anymore.”
“You never were. You saved my life too, or have you forgotten?”
“I remember. I wonder if I’ll see my father when I die.”
“You’re not going to die Constantine.”
“I’m taking Leah to the cathedral and then I’ll come back and help you move him.” Logan said. He carefully navigated through the remains of the collapsed house. Near the cathedral Arden saw Ivan Cramer rounding up dazed enchanters. The air suddenly pulsated with energy, the ground shook and the dome of the council hall blew off and shattered into a million pieces.
Chapter 86
Killian didn’t mean to blow the roof off of the council hall. If Rowan and Lucy hadn’t found their way inside it might have been different. After Charles punched him and knocked him to the ground he got to his feet and grabbed his assailant by the throat. Charles’ eyes bugged out of his head, the robe slipped from his shoulders. Killian could feel Charles’ energy flowing into his own body, if he held on for too long he could kill him. He waited a few more seconds and then let go. Charles fell to the ground.
“Are you going to obey me now?” Killian shouted. The three Founders stared at him but said nothing. Just then the door to the hall opened and Rowan stepped inside.
“Dad, are you all right?” Rowan asked.
“Get out of here.” Killian said sharply. There was no time for fatherly pleasantries.
Rowan started to back away when two things happened at once. Bryn grabbed Rowan by the throat and pushed him against the door. At the same time the back wall suddenly tore away and Lucy stepped through. Killian could tell by her expression that she was ready for battle.
“I’m going to kill your son!” Bryn shouted. “You’ll never rule us, you’re nothing.”
“Don’t.” Dylan tried to grab her arm but she pushed him away.
“I have to kill him. We have to break Killian and this is the way.”
“Take your hands off him you filthy bitch!” Lucy cried.
Bryn let go of Rowan and grabbed Lucy. Things had gone far enough. The Master Enchanter’s robe lay on the floor forgotten. Killian picked it up and put it on. All the stray energy in the room suddenly went hurtling towards him. Killian felt his body shaking. It was more power than he should have and more than he could handle. This was the very last time he was going to show the Founders his intention to rule them.
Bryn pushed Lucy to the floor and kicked her in the side. Meanwhile Charles had Rowan’s hands, he was trying to pull them off. Killian opened his mouth. He thought he should say something commanding, ominous, formidable. But that wasn’t Killian, at his core he was still the shy boy he had always been. Bryn and Charles were trying to kill his children. They wanted to break him. “I don’t break.” he whispered.
He raised his hands and let every ounce of energy inside of him come out. It filled the hall until the building couldn’t hold it anymore. Bryn and Charles stopped what they were doing and looked at him. Lucy and Rowan, who had both fallen to the floor, stared up at their father. Dylan, who was standing near the still unconscious Nora, laughed.
The dome blew apart as the energy inside became too much. The humming sound that had been present ever since he got there intensified until it was a piercing scream. The last drop of energy left his body, Killian felt almost mortal.
“Daddy.” Lucy said in awe.
Killian smiled at her. He suddenly began to giggle. He couldn’t believe what he had just done. He reached his hand above his head, the energy rushed back into his body. It felt good. It felt like he could do anything. He touched the wooden floor. He let the energy slide out of his body again. The mahogany boards rippled like a pebble being thrown into a puddle of water. The floor faded until the fresh earth of Darkhill was beneath them. Killian could sense the council hall just below the dirt.
He reached into the pocket of the robe and pulled out an iron ring. He set it on the ground. “Trapdoor.” he muttered. A wooden door appeared, the iron ring was fastened to it. Killian pulled on the ring and the door swung open, the smell of damp earth filled his lungs. He looked at the Founders. “Down you go.”
Dylan stepped forward and offered his hand. Killian shook it. “Don’t be too hard on them. Give them time to think about what they have done.” He went down the hole and disappeared from sight.
Killian turned to Bryn. “Will you go or do you need another demonstration of my position as your leader?”
Bryn glared at him. She looked at Lucy lying on the ground. Killian thought for a second that she might try and hurt her but she only shook her head. “You’re too sentimental, that’s your weakness.”
“Thank you for that analysis, now go down there.”
“You won’t keep us in there forever.”
“I know. I’ll let you out when you’re needed.”
“You disgust me.” Bryn crawled down into the hole and vanished.
That left Charles. “Your wife is dead.” he told Killian.
“I suppose you killed her.”
Charles shrugged. “She’s just a mortal.”
“She’s my mother.” Rowan spat.
“Don’t say anything else Rowan.” Killian told him.
He looked at Charles. “There’s no use in fighting me. Now get in your council hall. I’m going to seal you in until I want you again. You created something beautiful and then you tried to destroy it because it got out of your control.”
“It’s ours to destroy.”
“Get in the hole!” Kip shouted as he stepped through the hall door.
Charles slipped down into the darkness. Killian closed the door and said the necessary enchantments to seal the council hall. The presence of the robe helped strengthen the spell. As soon as it was done the trapdoor disappeared from view.
There was no time to bask in his success, Nora was dead. He turned her over, her neck was red. She had been strangled. He took her hands and let the energy flow out of him.
“Please bring her back.” Rowan said.
“I’m going to try.” Killian told him.
A few seconds passed. Nora suddenly opened her eyes.
Rowan knelt next to Nora and took her hand. There were tears in his eyes. “I was afraid I had lost you.”
Nora smiled. “That’s not going to happen. I’m so glad you are all right. Where’s Constantine?”
“He’s in the cathedral.” Kip said. “He needs to be healed.”
Rowan let go of Nora and ran outside.
Nora looked up at the missing dome. “What happened here?”
“I got a little carried away. Firesea is now in Darkhill.” Killian told her. He helped her sit up.
“Someone strangled me.” she said. “I saw Finnegan.”
The mention of his brother brought back a rush of emotions. “You saw him?”
“He’s fine Killian.” She touched the robe. “How did you get this?”
“I took it. I’m going to get rid of it soon. I have one more thing to do first.”
“What? Fix this place?”
“No. I’m going to take away your enchantments.”
“You can do that?”
“Yes, unless you want to keep them.”
She shook her head, tears started running down her cheeks. “No. Take them away, please.”
He took a deep breath and let all of Dante’s poison seep into his body. The extra punch of energy made him even stronger than before.
“I feel different.” Nora said.
“Good.” He was waiting for her to make another realization.
A look of joy suddenly spread over her face. “I remember Constantine. I remember being pregnant.” She started crying. “I remember holding him when he was born. I remember my baby.” She put her arms around him. “Thank you Killian, thank you for giving that back to me.”
Killian held her in his arms. It was worth everything he had become to give her back her memories. “It’s all over now Nora.”
Rowan returned with Constantine and Arden.
“Are you all right Constantine?” Nora asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. Rowan healed me.” He and Rowan sat next to Nora and put their arms around her.
“I love you Mom.” Rowan said.
“So do I.” Constantine told her.
Nora took his hands. “I remember having you Constantine. You made so happy, you still do.”
Tears ran down Constantine’s cheeks. “Thank you Mama.”
Killian stood up so that Nora could have a moment with her sons. His Uncle Ivan was walking towards him carrying Leah. “Whose baby is this?” he grumbled.
“We haven’t decided that yet.” Killian told him.
“Someone has to look after her.” Ivan said. “And it’s not going to be me.”
Constantine stood up. “Can I have her?”
“You?” Ivan said. “You don’t know anything about raising a child.”
“He can learn.” Killian told him. “Men can take care of children just as well as women.” He looked at Lucy who was lingering nearby. He knew that she wanted a baby. “What do you think of that?”
“He saved her life. I think she deserves you Constantine.” Lucy said.
“Good, it’s settled.” Ivan handed Leah to Constantine.
Two more people joined them. Logan and another man, he seemed familiar. It took Killian a moment to realize that it was Tom.
Nora let out a cry. “Tom? Is that really you?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
She stood up and put her arms around him, he didn’t return the gesture. “I thought you were dead.”
Tom pushed her away. “I’m dead inside.”
Nora looked wounded. “Whatever happened, I can help you.”
Tom looked around at the remains of Firesea. “I’m going back to the mortal world. I hope I never see another enchanter as long as I live.” He walked away. Nora started to follow him.
Killian grabbed her. “Let him go.”
“No! He’s my brother.”
“He’s all messed up inside.” Kip said. “He wanted to kill Rowan.”
“I can help him.” Nora said.
“No you can’t. He’s trying not to kill us.” Killian told her.” “He needs to leave.”
“Maybe someday.” she said.
“Yes, maybe someday.”
“What happens now Dad?” Rowan asked.
“We go home.”
about the author
Mary Swift lives on the coast of southern Maine. She has had a lifelong interest in the paranormal and the possibility that there is more to the world than what is in front our eyes. When she's not writing she enjoys travelling.
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