As soon as Luke’s name was out of my mouth, Dean’s expression changed. He took a step back and looked at me in shock. “Colina, Luke’s dead.”
I shook my head. “No, he’s not.”
Dean reached up and grabbed my shoulders. “I know it was a shock when it happened, but you must come to terms with it. Luke is gone.”
I pulled away from him. “He’s not,” I said again, this time louder.
A worried look crossed Dean’s face. “This whole ordeal has been hard on all of us. Colina, you have to face what’s happened.”
“No, Luke transferred into Caleb during the ritual. When the hellhound attacked them, when they were both knocked down, it was Caleb’s soul the beast took, not Luke’s.”
Dean stood motionless.
“He couldn’t tell us he was Luke. If Gage knew he would have thrown him into a cell. He would have become a prisoner.”
“Luke was inside Caleb?” Dean shook his head as though he was trying to process what I was telling him.
“Luke is still inside Caleb. It’s not like when you shared your body with him. Luke has complete control over Caleb’s body. Whatever was left of Caleb is gone.” Well, that wasn’t completely true—the anger and darkness Caleb had possessed was still there and so was the magic.
“He transferred into another body.” Dean’s face was still one of shock. “And you knew the whole time?”
“No.” I’d never suspected Caleb of anything but trying to lure me into a feeling of insecurity before he tried to kill me. I never dreamed that when Caleb started showing kindness toward me it was because he was really Luke.
“Luke brought you here to the death dealer’s camp,” Dean said.
“He did, but not before we went back and looked for you. Looked for Wendy and Mildred.”
My answer surprised him. “They aren’t with you?”
I shook my head and realized tears had formed in my eyes.
“When I came to, I was in the forest. When I got back to the town, there was so much chaos. Buildings were burning—people were screaming. There were dead bodies everywhere.” Dean suddenly looked uncomfortable.
I wondered how many of those bodies were people he’d killed when he’d turned berserker. It wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t help what happened to him. He couldn’t control himself, couldn’t stop himself from harming people.
The image of Dean coming at me when we were trying to escape the asylum flashed through my mind. I’d been terrified that he would kill me, but he hadn’t. Was it just dumb luck that he’d turned back before he got to me, or had he somehow realized who I was and had stopped himself? I wanted to believe the latter.
“I looked, but I couldn’t find you.” There was a tortured look on his face. “I saw Gage and Sonja standing together in the ruins, but by the time I got there, they were gone.” He moved forward again, reaching out his hand and put it on my arm. “I just started walking after that. I made it to the nearest town. And that’s what I’ve been doing. Going from town to town searching for you.”
I should have been touched that Dean had been so worried about me, that he had spent all this time looking for me, but the only thing racing through my head was that he had seen Gage and Sonja standing together, alive and breathing. “Gage is still alive?” A part of me hoped that he’d been killed, but deep down I knew a guy like Gage wouldn’t be so easy to kill. What terrified me most was that whenever I pictured Gage’s face, I could feel my mind filling up with emotions I knew weren’t real. Feelings of warmth and love for Gage swirled inside me. That’s what Gage had done to me—he’d somehow bound me to him so that anytime I was near him, anytime I thought of him, these fake emotions surfaced.
Dean didn’t seem aware of my conflicting emotions. “I knew you weren’t dead,” he said. “I knew deep inside that you were still alive. I feared Gage had taken you. I’ve been searching for you. It wasn’t until a few days ago that I heard about the camp. I came here to see if I could get help, to see if I could find some of my family, any of my guild members. I want to try and get some manpower to go after Gage. “
“Did you see Wendy and Mildred with him?” Wendy and Mildred had to have left with Gage. There was no other explanation. If they’d died that night, we would have found their bodies.
He gave my arm a squeeze. “No.”
“They weren’t in the wreckage. We checked, turned every body over looking for—” I’d almost said 'you' but caught myself. “Looking for all of you. Gage must have them.”
“When I got here, I started asking around, trying to figure out if anyone had seen you. Then someone said they knew where you were, and they brought me here.” He looked around the room then, wrinkling his nose. “Why are you in here? Why are there armed men in front of the cabin? I had to fight my way in.”
“It’s a long story.” My gaze automatically went to the corner where I knew Jamie was hiding. As if on cue, she slowly edged out of the shadows.
Dean recognized the girl and, before I could react, pushed me behind him. “Colina, it’s—”
“It’s okay,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. I lowered my voice so only he could hear me. “We banished the demon. It’s only a child.”
He turned back to me. “But…how?”
“A spell Luke’s sister found.”
“Hello,” the child said in a timid voice. She looked frightened, like she was going to run back to the corner at any moment.
“Hi,” Dean answered. He hadn’t moved a muscle. He was still between me and the child.
I pushed past him and addressed Jamie directly, “We’re going to talk for awhile.”
“Okay,” the girl said. Then without another word she walked back into the shadows.
I pulled Dean with me over to the other side of the room. “The demon is gone but not completely banished yet. I have a lot to tell you.”
“Where is Luke?” Dean demanded.
“He left camp.”
Dean’s eyes blazed in anger. “He left you here? Imprisoned?”
“Darla put me here—Luke’s sister. She’s worried I won’t stay alive long enough for her to do the ritual.”
“Why wouldn’t you be alive?”
I raised my hand until the blackened veins beneath my pale skin were visible. “I was poisoned—” I stopped myself before I said how. If Dean thought the child had hurt me, he might go after her. I tried to explain to him how I was accidently poisoned during the spell, and how Jamie was now just a child—that the creature was gone for the moment.
I saw the way he kept looking over to where Jamie hid. I could tell Dean was not convinced the creature was truly gone. Neither was Darla. I wondered why I was. I shook my head. It was because she looked like my family. Because every time I saw her I was reminded of them. A part of me wished so desperately that they were back with me, and being near her made that ache not as bad somehow.
Dean’s fingers trailed down the lines on my hand. “This venom was inside you, but you’re okay now?”
“I took an antidote.” It wasn’t a complete lie; the elixir did make me better.
He gave me a smile. “I can’t leave you alone without you getting yourself into all sorts of trouble, can I?”
I smiled back. It was good to see him. When I watched him turn berserker and he attacked the crowd, a part of me had been sure it was the last time I’d see him alive. I thought Gage’s men had killed him. At the thought of his death a terrible sadness had filled me, but I’d forced those emotions away. I’d stuffed them deep inside, and it wasn’t until I saw him standing at the door that I realized how relieved I was to see him. I could still feel the warmth of his lips against mine.
I shook my head and tried to clear my thoughts. It was Luke I truly cared for. Dean was just a friend.
Liar. The word whispered across my mind.
“I’d offer you something to eat, but we ate it all,” I said, gesturing toward the empty tray.
Dean was still holding my h
and and gave it a squeeze. “How do we go about getting you out of here?”
“She’s not going anywhere.”
Darla stood at the door. She had a crossbow pointed straight at Dean.
In a split-second, Dean pushed me away from him.
“Darla, this is Dean,” I said as calmly as I could.
Darla didn’t lower the bow. “My brother told me all about you.”
“You’re one up on me. I don’t know much about you,” Dean said in a wary voice.
Darla gave a harsh laugh. “I’m not surprised Colina never talked about me. I’m not one of her favorite people.”
“Darla, leave him alone.” I had to keep my temper. If I got mad, that would only give Darla justification to kill Dean. With the way she was looking at him, the arrow pointed at his heart, I didn’t doubt for a second that she would do it if we forced her hand. “He only came here to make sure I was all right.”
Darla didn’t take her eyes off of Dean. “We know what he’s capable of.”
Dean took a step forward. “Then you know your magic and spells won’t help you.”
She adjusted her weapon ever so slightly. “Hence the crossbow. I don’t think you can stop an arrow straight to the heart.”
I moved in front of Dean. “Enough. He has nothing to do with this. Leave him alone.”
This time she looked straight at me and gave me a smile. “I know he’s in love with you, and I doubt very much that he’s going to leave camp if I let him walk out of here.”
I turned to Dean. “Tell her you’ll leave if she lets you out of here.”
Dean said in an angry voice, “I’m not leaving you.”
Darla’s eyes shone with triumph. “See? I don’t know how you do it. I’ve often wondered if it’s some kind of magic spell. They fall so hard for you. Look at how loyal he is. I bet he would throw himself in front of you if I pulled the trigger.”
“I would,” Dean said, “in a heartbeat.”
“See? He is so blinded by love that he would take an arrow for you.” Darla’s expression filled with hate. “If you knew what she’s really capable of, what she really is, then you wouldn’t love her.”
“I know what Colina can do,” Dean said. He moved until he stood beside me and took my hand in his again.
“All of it?” Darla demanded. “She told you how she raised that thing?” She motioned toward the child huddled in the shadows clutching her doll. “How we have to do one last ritual to make sure the monster can never come back?” She looked back at me. “I need Colina for that ritual, so she’s not going anywhere.”
Dean dropped my hand and lifted both of his in surrender. “If she stays in here, then I’m staying in here with her.”
Darla laughed. “My brother’s going to love that. Okay, lover boy, I’ll give you two some time to catch up. But then I’m coming back for you. There are some things we want to talk to you about. This berserker magic you have… We haven’t been able to find much information about it.” Her voice took on a civil tone, and she gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You wouldn’t mind coming and answering some questions about it? Helping us understand it better?”
Dean matched her tone and smile. “I would be happy to answer any questions.”
“Great. I’ll be back for you. Behave yourselves.” She stepped out of the room and slammed the door shut behind her.
I turned to Dean. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Why not?” he asked.
I started to say Darla was right, that Luke wouldn’t like it, but I stopped myself. I knew that Luke would hate that Dean was in here with me, but instead I said, “They are holding me prisoner. You don’t want to align yourself with me. Darla hates me. She gathered the young people in camp together and they’re all following her orders. The smart thing to do would be for you to leave, go with them. Answer their questions. Cooperate with them. Get as much distance from me as you can.”
“I’m not leaving you in here unprotected.” His gaze flickered over to the child. She was standing just on the edge of the candlelight.
“I can take care of myself.” I was the most powerful mage anyone had ever seen… or so everyone kept telling me.
Dean seemed to realize I was revving up for a fight. He said in a soft voice, “I know you can take care of yourself, but until we can figure out a way to get you out of here, think of me as someone to help keep you entertained.”
Up until now the only person on my side in the camp was Freddy. Now I had Dean, someone else I could count on. Dean was with me again. If I was honest with myself, I wanted him to stay here with me. I took comfort in him being with me. How would I explain all that to Luke when he came back?
* * *
It was good to talk to someone besides Freddy. We talked for a couple hours. Dean told me all about his adventures. How things were on the outside.
Things were getting worse—more death dealers had been killed and imprisoned.
“Did you get to see your family?” I asked. We were sitting on the floor facing each other. The child was still hiding in the shadows.
“Yes. I found a few cousins and an aunt in town, and before I came here to you I saw my mother. She’s safe for the moment. There are some members of my family scattered around the campsite. No one from my guild has been attacked yet, but with things continuing to escalate… No death dealer is safe,” Dean answered.
I reached out and touched his arm. We both knew it was my fault. I’d caused this all to happen. When Dean had first found out that I’d created the demon, he’d turned his back on me. I waited for that same accusatory look to cross his face, but it didn’t appear. He gave me a smile instead.
His hand covered mine. “I’m sorry I acted like such a jerk back in the mining town. I was surprised by what you told me. I should have never…”
My words rushed out, “It’s okay. You had every right to react the way you did. It is all my fault.”
“You didn’t do these things on purpose,” he said in a quiet voice.
“I’m the reason all of this is happening.”
“Colina, you can’t blame yourself.”
As we talked, one of the guards looked in on us. As he watched us the look he gave me was one I’d seen mirrored by the others in camp—a combination of fear and hatred.
“Everyone in the camp blames me,” I said. “I’m sure they’ve spread the word to the outside about the things that have happened. If I ever get out of here, what kind of reception do you think I’ll find?”
“I think it’s crazy to worry about it now.” Dean rubbed his hands together. “I’m more concerned with staying warm.”
There was no fireplace in the cabin. The sun had set long ago, and the temperature had dropped along with it. Darla had left us with some amenities.
I looked over toward where the little girl lay. “Jamie?” I called out.
“I’m here,” a small voice answered, heavy with sleep.
“He won’t hurt you. You can come out,” I said.
Jamie was suddenly standing in the arc of the lamplight.
Dean looked from the child to me and then back again. “So your name…” He stopped and watched the child for a moment before continuing in a quiet voice, “Your name is Jamie.”
The child nodded. She clasped the doll tightly against her chest. “You’re the man that turns into a monster.”
I could tell by Dean’s expression that he was surprised by her words, but when he spoke he sounded calm and reassuring. “It only happens when someone zaps me with their magic.” His eyes narrowed. “But you have nothing to worry about because you don’t have any magic inside you…?” It sounded like a question.
Before I could say anything, the child said in a quiet voice, “I don’t think I do.”
Dean gave her a smile. “Then you have nothing to worry about.” He raised his hands. “Without magic, I can’t change. I’m just a normal guy.”
Her eyes were still wide with uncerta
inty, but she made her way over to my side and sat down.
It was then that the door swung open and Darla strode into the room. “Time’s up,” she said, giving Dean a pointed look.
Dean reluctantly got to his feet. “I hate to think of you staying in here.” He looked around the room.
I forced myself to smile. “Don’t worry about us. We have a couple of sleeping bags. We won’t freeze to death.”
“We are taking care of their every need. You don’t need to worry,” Darla said. She smiled at Dean, but when her gaze turned toward me, she scowled.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” I got to my feet and stood beside him. I didn’t want him to leave, but I knew nothing I said would change Darla’s mind. They were off to drill Dean about his berserker powers. And if they deemed him too dangerous, what would they do to him?
I realized I had reached out my hand as if to stop him from going. I pulled it back, but Darla had seen my gesture. She gave me a knowing smile.
Dean said in a determined voice, “I’ll come by first thing in the morning.”
“I’ll be here.”
And with that, I watched them walk out of the room.
I stood looking at the door for a long time. The room got colder. I could see my breath on the air. I walked over and grabbed one of the sleeping bags. I motioned toward Jamie to come closer.
“It’s getting cold in here, you better get in,” I said handing her the bag.
She took the bag from my hands and dragged it across the room back into the shadows. I heard the zipper open and then the sound of her body sliding inside.
I looked over at Jamie. She was a human child now, but was she harmless? According to Darla, until we killed Jamie, the demon that had created her and possessed her could come back into our world at any time. Jamie’s very existence threatened our lives. Soon the child would be dead and that threat would be gone. Jamie would die. I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. There had to be another way, some spell that would allow the tie between the child and the demon to be severed. Darla and her people weren’t looking for it because they didn’t care if Jamie lived or died. The death dealers feared the child as if she was still possessed by the demon. Was there a way to make them see Jamie for what she was now? But what was she now? I wanted to believe with all my heart that Jamie was a human child who could not, would not harm us.
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