by Mary Ting
I’d felt the pain of my mother’s death, and even accepted that Cyrus partly controlled Eli, but to know the end might be near tore my heart to shreds. I rubbed away the tears forming in my eyes with trembling hands. There was no time for sulking, but at the moment of solace, I let the tears flow. Let them fall as they would, for it could be my last cry. I wished my mother were with me. But I might see her soon. And that thought alone gave me back my courage, and I didn’t fear death.
After I wiped my tears, I held my mother’s journal as if I was hugging her and meandered about the rooms. I went inside my mother’s room and ran my fingers along her purple duvet, the twin to mine. She loved the color purple and so did I. Then I studied the few photos she had on her wooden desk of us and one of Eli, my mom, and me. Though Eli had already lost his mother, he seemed content. The three of us smiled. Gone were those cherished days.
Sitting on the edge of my mother’s bed, I flipped past the page that helped us find the second clue at Rosslyn Chapel. I stopped at the page where my mother had sketched seven caskets with swords laid on top, just like we’d done. The journal confirmed we had done it right, but we needed the last sword. However, it didn’t reveal what the treasure was. Figures. There had to be more.
“Mother help me,” I murmured. “There’s gotta be a way to retrieve the treasure without the swords. What if one or two had been lost? The Knights Templar had to have thought of that, wouldn’t they?”
I skipped through pages, trying to find something…anything. After ten minutes of reading and searching…there. There it was. Finally.
If you’re reading this journal, only my flesh and blood can read the pages. I’ve told you how to unlock it before. You know what to do.
Indeed I did. I placed my palm on the next page, and images of her with locations began to form in the air. Mother had let me know where she had left me secret messages, like the one we found when we astral traveled back to my cabin.
There were only three. I noted the time. Thirty minutes before the meeting time. I portaled the book safely to another realm, and then I astral traveled to location number one, to Eli’s ranch at the time I was born. The hologram of my mother appeared, showing me location number two. I traveled back to our ranch when I was five, the time and place my mother had taught me how to ride a horse. The hologram of my mother showed me where to go next.
I arrived in the present. Snow blanketed the mountain. What in the world? I didn’t recall such a place. Mother and I had never been there before. Burnt wood filled my nostrils. A cabin. Smoke rose from the chimney. Someone peeked from the inside. I readied my fireballs and stealthily moved to the front door.
Why had Mother asked me to go there? If the hologram had been tampered with, Mortem or Cyrus might have created a trap for me. My mind reeled with possible ways to die.
I braced myself when the door creaked open, my magic building up to blast. Blonde hair tousled out of her hood, the wind slapping it mercilessly. I gasped. Sabina. Sabina was alive. Then, when another woman walked out of the cabin, my world was shaken to its core. Blood shot through my trembling body, and my heart stopped beating.
I dropped to my knees and sobbed.
Chapter 24
Lucia
“Jack, where have you been?” Jack’s mother shrieked when we entered the house, her voice echoing through the room. Then her voice became softer, and her cheeks glowed pink when we walked in. “Lucia. Zach. Where’s your uncle?”
I blinked. My tongue tangled. I couldn’t tell her he went to Crossroads for angel backup. “He uh…he went to get help to get people to evacuate.” Thank goodness for Lucky’s distraction. I rubbed the top of her head. Wagging her tail, she licked my hand.
Audrey smiled a little, but lowered her lips when Jack spoke.
“Mom, you have to get out of here.”
“I know, Jack.” Her eyebrows angled, and she crossed her arms. A condescending look. “I’m not going to leave without you. Where’s your grandmother? I can’t believe she’s not here. You would think she would be here.” She left her spot to toss a few duffle bags by the front door. “Gustavo, hold onto Lucky’s leash and stay put.”
Gustavo frowned and took the leash from Audrey.
Audrey grabbed her purse, her car keys clinking. “Lucia. Zach. You can come with us or go with your uncle. Let me know what you want to do, but decide now. We’ll be in the car. Jack, I’ve already packed a few of your things.” Audrey glanced at Zach and me. Since we didn’t answer, Audrey probably guessed we weren’t going with her. “Jack, hurry up and say goodbye.”
“What about Grandma?” Gustavo sounded upset.
“We’ll find her. I know a few places she might be.” Audrey opened the door, taking Gustavo and Lucky with her.
I had never seen Audrey so frantic and upset. I understood the reason, but… “Jack. You go with your mother. Zach and I will go with my uncle,” I said.
It was the perfect opportunity to tell Jack he wasn’t coming with us.
Jack gripped my arm and pulled me to the side. “What are you talking about, Lucia?” His sharp, angry tone surprised me. “I’m staying. I’m fighting. I can’t…I won’t…” Tears. Real tears dampened his eyes. Adjusting his glasses, he cleared his throat. “I’ve had the best time of my life since you, Zach, and Uncle Davin came along. You guys are my family too. We’ve been through so much together. We are the Chosen Knights. We stick together, and we die together. We’re best friends, Lucia. I wouldn’t be able to live knowing you’re fighting to the end while I’m safely tucked away. Do you know what that would do to me? Do you know what that feels like?”
“Yeah, I do, Jack.” Tears blurred my vision. The boy in front of me had a beautiful heart and the courage of a hundred knights. “But…” I caressed his arm. “It’s no place for humans, Jack. This is huge. This is war. You’ll be fighting against powerful beings. You won’t…you umm…” I didn’t know what to say or how to say it. There were no delicate words to lessen the punch.
“You’re going to die,” my insensitive brother blurted.
“Zach.” I elbowed him, but his fast reflexes stopped my elbow with his hand. “We don’t have time to be delicate about this situation, Lucia. We need to do what Uncle Davin told us to do. He also sent everyone a group message to change our meeting point. I can’t believe he wants to meet at the heart of the mountain.”
“What about Jack?” I glanced between the both of them.
“I agree with you, Lucia,” Zach said.
Jack scowled. His jaw clenched, and his eyes darkened into anger. As his lips parted, Zach interrupted.
“But I understand Jack. He’s been with us through this amazing journey of the Knights Templar. I’ve learned so much not just about them and their history, but about who I want to be. I may be an angel warrior, but I am no knight, at least not yet. But...” Zach placed an arm around Jack’s shoulder with admiration and respect. “This friend, human, has taught me more than I ever thought possible. You’ve taught me what it truly means to be a friend. Your bravery, kindness, and humility are qualities difficult to find in any kind of being. I won’t stop you. I can’t stop you. I know that if I force you into your mother’s car, you’ll find a way to find us, even if you have to walk. Aren’t I right, Jack?”
Jack grinned, shrugging, his checks flushing a bit. “You know me so well.”
I agreed with everything Zach had said, but I still didn’t want Jack to come with us. “What do we say to Jack’s mother?” I asked.
“I’ll have to glamour Jack’s mother, and since Gustavo already knows too much, I’ll tell him to watch out for his mother,” Zach said. “I don’t like doing it, but it’s the only way. Time is ticking. We need to go.”
The three of us went through the front door when the sound of a horn blasted. Audrey was impatient. Which was understandable. While Zach planted the scenario in Audrey’s mind, Jack and I prepared to say goodbye to Gustavo. Lucky stuck out her head through the rolled-down windo
w.
“Hurry, get in?” Gustavo said. “What’s Zach saying to Mom?”
“Listen, Goose. I need you to look after Mom, okay? I’m not going with you.”
“What do you mean you’re not coming?” His eyes rounded in shock and then betrayal. After he took seconds to process Jack’s words, he said with a harsh demanding tone. “No. You get in. You’re coming with us.”
“I have to stay and fight, Goose. I can’t just—”
“You’ll die!” he hollered. “You’re not supernatural and don’t have special powers like them.” He pointed to Zach and me. “They can fly. What can you—unless...” His voice dropped to almost a whisper, thoughtful. “Unless you have super powers I don’t know about?”
Jack shook his head. “I don’t. But I need to stay and fight. I need to help. This is my destiny. I’m meant to be more than just Jack. I believe in fate. I’m fighting for Grandma and Dad.” Jack swallowed, tears pooling. Then he grabbed Gustavo through the window, kissed his forehead, and let go. A last kiss goodbye. “I love you, Goose.”
Gustavo stuck out his arms and reached for Jack, sobbing. “Don’t leave me. Grandma and Dad are gone. I don’t want to lose you too. Please. Jack.”
I couldn’t bear to witness Gus’s heartache. I thought about glamouring Jack and shoving him in the car, but I couldn’t do it.
“Zach. Tell my mom to drive now, please.” Jack looked at his mother. “I love you, Mom. I’m sorry, but I have to do this.”
Jack’s mother heard Jack but didn’t respond. Zach had told her to concentrate on one task—driving to the rescue destination.
Gustavo began tearing up, his lips quaking. “No. No. No. You can’t leave me like this. I want to be with you, Jack.”
Jack began to back away, wiping his tears, as his mother backed away from the driveway. “Be brave, Goose. Take care of Mom. You are the man of the house now.”
“Jack!”
Gustavo’s cries died with the wind and became softer the farther Audrey drove out of sight. I embraced Jack to give him comfort as we both cried in each other’s arms.
Gustavo knew the odds of his brother surviving: very slim if any. One of us would stick by Jack’s side and protect him while we battled the demons, but anything could happen in a fight.
“Come on. Let’s go. It’s time,” Zach said softly.
Though Zach didn’t shed a tear, the expression on his face told a different story. We reached our meeting destination just as the others did. I asked Milani to put a spell on Jack. The air was too thick and heavy, and the toxic fumes from the lava weren’t breathable for humans.
“Where’s your uncle?” Abel asked.
I didn’t answer. Kohl, Cayden, and Vanessa stood to the right of Abel, and to the left was a man I had never met. Behind him were people, men and women alike.
“What’s going on?” Zach stepped forward, taking command.
“Zach, this is my dad, Gabriel, and these are his friends,” Brody explained. “They aren’t fully human. Lamias and Elementum. They want to stay and fight. They’re tired of running.”
Gabriel’s friends gawked at us, staring at Zach’s and my expanded wings.
Zach dipped his head slightly. “It’s nice to meet you all. Thank you for being here.” Zach’s words were short and to the point. “We are about to dive into hell, so to speak. Our objective is to find Cyrus, but feel free to kill demons along the way. If it becomes overwhelming, or if you’re wounded, or if you simply need to leave, please do. You have no obligation to stay. It is your will.”
I wondered if Zach should have told them to go home. The men and women were of middle age. They weren’t trained. Sure, they were supernatural beings, but it didn’t mean they could easily kill demons. But we had no time to debate. The earth rumbled violently, longer and harder than the tremors before.
Gabriel faced his friends. “It seems like we have a second chance to do what we should have done long years past. Cyrus will not take our family, our homes, or our land.” He draped his arm around Brody’s shoulders. “We fight for what’s most important, our children. So they may live without fear. Live in peace. We fight for our and their future. We fight until the end. Cyrus must be stopped. It’s time, my friends. Not unto us. O lord, not unto us, but to thy name give the glory.”
“To thy name give the glory,” his friends echoed.
The touching moment caused a lump in my throat as I tried not to tear up. Then a war cry reverberated over the island. We joined them, and my blood pumped with confidence.
“Take us where we need to go,” one of the women said, her fingers flickering in fiery red.
“I’m ready,” a man roared, his fangs out, eyes burning in amber.
Where is Uncle Davin? He should be here with the Venators.
“Follow—”
Zach never got to finish his words. He jerked back, as if someone punched his chest, and he went through the mountain wall.
“Zach! Zach! Zach!” Shouting his name seemed futile.
I sliced through the rocky structure with my sword. Dirt and chunks of rock plummeted to the ground. Swords clashed behind me. The demons had found us first. So much for a surprise attack.
My assumptions about the middle-aged men and women were wrong. They fought like warriors. Clearly, they had experience and were trained. The Lamias used their strength to rip through bones and muscles, or sometimes to yank out the heart. They also used their sharp teeth to tear through their throats and any parts of the demon’s bodies. Black blood oozed from humans turned demons, but the true demons from the abyss burst to ashes.
The Elementum struck with magic. Sometimes they used fire to incinerate demons, and sometimes they used the fallen rocks that had loosened from the quake as weapons. The Elementum threw the rocks hard enough to penetrate through flesh, muscles, and bones.
My friends and I fought just as furiously and swiftly. It felt good to have allies. We had terminated double the number of demons as we had people. Gabriel’s friends glanced around at their kills, perplexed at first, and then held their heads up. Perhaps this small battle had given them confidence and hope Cyrus could be defeated.
Zach walked out from the wall—perfect and untouched. His wings hadn’t lost a feather, still alabaster and breathtaking. Black liquid dripped from the sword in his hand.
“Zach, are you okay?” I examined him again for any signs of wounds.
Zach whipped his sword in zig zags so fast even my eyes had a difficult time following it. When he stopped, his sword shone clean again, the black liquid gone.
Zach fluttered his wings once and lifted himself higher so the others could see him. “We can’t see it from this level, but the lava has begun to reach the towns. I got a better view when the demon grabbed me. Some are underground, digging, disrupting the volcano’s sleep. That’s how they are doing it. They’ve been digging from underground to be undetectable. I’ve killed a handful of demons, but they are regrouping. We fight from the inside. We break their barriers and take out the ones that are digging. Lucia and I will go after Cyrus. Brody, you’re in charge of Jack.”
Brody’s eyes slid to Jack, his chest expanding with a sigh. “Stay close to me. Try not to be too brave, or I’ll kill you myself.”
Jack gave him thumbs up, a nervous grin spreading over his face.
“Lucia, help me break through the wall.”
I pointed my sword just as Zach did.
“On the count of three, allow the sword to release its energy, and we’re going to need a bit of help from your light. You think you can do that?” Zach asked.
“Yes.” The training I had with my mom came to my mind. It wasn’t much, but it was vital and enough. I waved my hand. “Everyone, get back.”
“One…two…three.”
Sizzling, blinding lights shot out like lightning from both of our swords. I inhaled a soothing calm breath and released a small light from my index finger. Easy. Not too much. Or I might blow up the volcano myself. The
heated tingling sensation flushed through me like a warm summer night. Then chunks of rocks flew as the intensity of my power grew, pushing and digging.
Zach and I flung out our shield all around us as a red glow—fire and smoke—tried to break through the shield. The work of demons, no doubt. There was no longer room for fear or reservation in our hearts. We charged through the belly of hell with all of our courage.
Chapter 25
Eli
Mortem and I portaled back to Cyrus’s domain. Might as well call it hell. My rage consumed me at the thought of my father trapped inside Cyrus for all these years, and my mother alive locked somewhere in prison. I’ve heard of crazy things, but this one topped it all.
“Eli.”
I whipped to the sound of my name and exhaled a sigh. The person I needed to speak to. Clarissa sprinted toward me with fear in her eyes. Her expression changed to placid after she realized Mortem stood beside me.
Mortem and I had never stood at an amiable distance before. She knew Mortem and I were enemies, but to her perspective, we might actually look like friends. Or maybe she wasn’t sure if Cyrus was controlling me.
“It’s me,” I reassured her. “You can speak in front of Mortem. He’s fine. And if he says anything to Cyrus, I’ll kill him.” Mortem let out a growl, but I dismissed it.
I jerked from side to side as the ground tilted. Not the first time, but worse than before. Mortem cursed. Clarissa shrieked.
“The volcano erupted. People are scrambling to safety.” Her panicked tone worried me.
That explained why it felt twice as humid and hot, and the cavern reeked with toxic gas, not to mention the shaking. “Then it has begun,” I said, but I didn’t care about that at the moment. I had my own agenda to take care of first. “Do you know where Cyrus is hiding my mother?”
Clarissa’s eyes widened. Her cheeks burned red as the molten liquid. Anger or guilt, I couldn’t tell.
Clarissa’s body went rigid. “It’s…it’s too late. I think Cyrus has your mother and he’s going to kill her.”
