The Keeping Place (Book Six in the Witch Hunter Saga)

by Nicole R. Taylor

  “Once I tap into the ley lines, Eleanor will be alerted to our presence,” Gabby continued, ignoring the spy. “That’s where the time comes in.”

  “Then we’ll buy it for you,” Alex said. “Fend her off until you’re ready.”

  “What about Ismena?” Isobel asked.

  Nye raised his eyebrows. “What about her? This is a magical fight, Isobel. You’ll stay here with her.”

  “Oh, is that right?”

  “He’s right, Izzy,” Alex said. “She needs her parents, or at worst, one of them.”

  Gesturing to Tristan, Nye said, “We need a fourth.”

  “Reed,” he said. “I trust no other.”

  Gabby peered at the knight and cocked her head to the side, an unanswered question passing between them. He nodded once, and that was all she needed to know. Reed had told him the truth, and it had been a good outcome.

  “Then get him here immediately,” the spy commanded. “We leave as soon as Gabby has made her preparations.”

  “But…” Isobel began but was cut off when Nye pulled her into his arms and placed a kiss on her lips.

  “We’re doing this for Ismena,” he said. “She’s the most important of all. If this goes bad, then she’ll need her mother by her side. We can’t leave her alone in this world.”

  “You think this is going to—”

  “Shh,” he crooned.

  “There’s always a risk,” Gabby said kindly. “We have to be prepared.”

  “What if the dark magic corrupts you like it did to the Unhallowed?” Izzy asked, looking panicked. “How can we get you back?”

  “It won’t,” she replied, knowing full well it already lived inside her. Maybe this was what it was for all this time. Perhaps this was her destiny after all.

  “But—”

  “She’ll be okay, Iz,” Alex said as Nye embraced her. “She knows what she’s doing.

  Glancing at Isobel with a heavy heart, Gabby said, “We had better begin.”

  Isobel watched on as the vampires began amassing in the living room.

  She stood in the foyer beside the ten million pounds worth of Michelangelo painting hanging on the wall while Alex, Tristan, Reed, Nye, and the witch Gabby all prepared for battle with Eleanor. She wanted to go and fight, to protect her daughter and the world from the Unhallowed, but what power did she have? None at all.

  Nye was right. She was useless. He didn’t exactly say it, but she knew he’d thought it.

  “What are they doing?”

  She glanced down at Ismena, startled by the change in her voice. It only felt like that morning that she was still speaking her words with dropped letters, her tongue still having trouble with the letter s. Now she seemed to have a complete grasp of the English language…and looked exactly like an eight-year-old girl.

  “They’re going to run an errand,” she replied.

  “Are you angry?”

  Isobel’s exterior melted, and she knelt before Ismena, smoothing her fingers through her daughter’s hair.

  “Not at all,” she said. “I wanted to go too, but…I can’t.”

  The little witch studied her with her strange honey colored eyes. “Why not?”

  “Because I’m here with you.”

  Ismena watched the group in the living room for a moment, then narrowed her eyes. Leaning close, she whispered in Isobel’s ear, “Aunt Gabby is going to do a bad thing.”

  Isobel drew back, startled. “What do you mean?”

  “She has a bad shadow inside her, and she wants to use it against the lady.”

  “Mena,” Isobel said, beginning to worry she’d overheard something they’d been trying to save her from. “Gabby doesn’t have a bad shadow inside her.”

  “Yes, she does. I can see it.”

  Isobel glanced into the living room at Gabby, wondering what Ismena meant. She knew Gabby intended to use dark spells to siphon the ley lines to use against Eleanor, but what was the dark shadow inside her? Did she already have dark power at her disposal?

  “Can you see it now?” she asked her daughter. “The shadow?”

  She looked at Gabby and nodded.

  “You’re worried about Aunt Gabby, aren’t you?”

  Ismena nodded again, this time more furiously. “It will eat her up.”

  Isobel’s smile faded, and an alarming sense of foreboding overcame her senses. Gabby had said it herself. The spirits had told her Ismena would have infinite knowledge. Had she been able to tap into that part of herself yet? She didn’t know, but she knew if she didn’t listen to her daughter now, she’d be making a huge mistake.

  “Do you want to go?” Ismena whispered. “I can hide us.”

  “Mena,” she scolded.

  “Aunt Gabby can’t use the shadow,” she declared. “The shadow will eat her all up.”

  Isobel’s heart began to pound as she realized the gravity of Gabby’s plan. Did her friend know what would happen to her if she managed to defeat Eleanor? The toll would be too great…

  Gabby was sacrificing herself to spare Ismena from using her power. Isobel wanted the same thing, to spare her daughter from becoming a tool, but not at the cost of her friend’s life. Was this truly the only way?

  “I can do it, Mommy,” she said. “I followed the light.”

  “The light?” Isobel asked, attempting to see what exactly Ismena understood about her destiny.

  “I was made from magic. Aunt Gabby says I have lots of it. I know she gets tired when she uses hers, but I never do. She said I should follow the light and protect all the good things that live on the planet like you and Daddy. Daddy is a vampire, and vampires are supposed to be bad, but he’s a good vampire. Just like Uncle Tristan.” She puffed out her chest. “I can protect Aunt Gabby from the lady, and then the shadow won’t eat her up.”

  “You can?” Isobel asked. “Are you sure, sweetie?”

  She nodded furiously. “Daddy won’t let us go, but we can hide. Do you know Harry Potter? He has an invisibility cloak!”

  Well, there was one normal thing about her daughter. She was obsessed with Harry Potter just like every kid her age.

  “You can hide us like that?” she asked. “Daddy has super hearing, you know.”

  Ismena nodded. “He won’t hear.”

  Isobel thought over it a moment, knowing she had to make a decision right now, or they would miss their chance to hitch a ride to the standing stones. Ismena was so certain she could protect them from Eleanor, who she called ‘the lady.’ If Gabby truly intended to sacrifice her life in order to save them all, including sparing Ismena from using her power, then the cost was too great. Mena was still a child, but she understood, and she could help. She was offering. Surely that was different than forcing her to face the Unhallowed?

  “Daddy’s going to be really angry,” she said with a frown.

  “He’ll be okay,” Mena said, not at all worried about getting into trouble.

  Isobel smiled and kissed her on her forehead. “Then hide us.”

  She grasped her daughter’s hand and led her through the kitchen and into the garage where the car was waiting. Hoping she was making the right decision, she opened the trunk and lifted her daughter inside.

  “Remember, invisibility cloaks on, and no sound, okay?”

  Ismena nodded, looking pleased as punch as Isobel squeezed into the trunk beside her and closed them inside.

  Chapter 19

  Nye watched on as Gabby stood over the Blood Stone, the same stone he’d lain on during Eleanor’s ritual.

  The power that had ripped through his body and poured directly into the wraiths had been overwhelming, the voices tearing at his mind only adding to his agony. To think he’d been privy to the murmurings of the earth. Was that what it felt like to be a witch like Gabby? Maybe, but perhaps not quite as painful.

  The ritual had been twofold, acting as a way to mask the spell that had made him fertile and to tether him to the ley lines so the Unhallowed could siphon more power than
they’d ever had before.

  Standing in the place that had caused him so much agony was difficult, but if everything went according to plan, then by sunrise, Eleanor and her psycho pack of wraiths would be no more.

  As soon as they’d arrived at the standing stones, they’d illuminated a new set of torches, sticking the long poles into the shredded earth—the calling card Gabby had left behind on her last visit—and creating a perimeter around the witch as she lined herself to the ley lines running beneath them.

  Gabby’s plan was simple. Stand vigil as she siphoned as she would be vulnerable until she was at maximum energy, then back her up when Eleanor finally appeared. She would do most of the work…and yet again, all their problems could only be solved by a witch. The thought annoyed Nye more than he’d even admit aloud, but his hands were tied. He’d struggled with the notion of becoming a father, but Ismena had become more to him that he ever thought possible. He’d lick Gabby’s boots if he had to, and if this would save his little witch, then he’d lick until they shone.

  Nye let his mind wander as his hearing stretched out over the field and to the motorway beyond. Nothing moved over the landscape, but the harder he listened, the more he was able to pick out the faint thrumming of what sounded like a twin heartbeat. Thump thump, thump thump.

  Glancing at the others, they didn’t seem to hear it, so he gestured to Tristan that he was going to check the perimeter. If it was Eleanor coming out to play, then Gabby would have sensed her and alerted them. It must be a stray animal, and if it was human, he’d compel them to give this place a wide berth. They didn’t need any added complications tonight.

  Stepping out of the ring of firelight, he followed the sound across the field, his footsteps following the path they’d created during their approach to the stone circle. When the car came into view, his irritation rose as he realized the sound was coming from inside. Probably some punk kid attempting to hot-wire the sedan. Seriously? Car thieves out in the middle of nowhere? This had to be some kind of sick joke.

  Shoving his hand into his pocket, he pressed the unlock button on the keys, and the indicators flashed. Flinging open the boot, Nye growled in anger as Ismena sat up, her fiery red hair a complete mess. Isobel followed suit, looking sheepish.

  “Seriously?” he exclaimed.

  “Hi, Daddy!” Ismena chortled.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” he growled.

  “Aunt Gabby wants to use the bad thing inside her,” Ismena said, not at all perturbed by her father’s displeasure.

  He narrowed his eyes and glanced at Isobel, looking for answers.

  “She’s very convincing,” she declared as their daughter scrambled out of the boot and landed lithely on the ground.

  “Daddy,” Ismena said, tugging on his hand. “She can’t stop the bad lady.”

  Nye glanced at Isobel with a frown, then knelt before his daughter. “What do you mean, Mena?” he asked. “What bad lady?”

  “The wraith lady,” she replied.

  Nye turned his attention back to Isobel, who was ungracefully climbing out of the boot. “What did you say to her?”

  “Nothing,” she retorted, dusting herself off.

  “Mommy didn’t say anything,” Ismena declared. “I heard lots of times.” She picked up the diamond pendant from around her neck. “I saw her, too. I heard lots of voices in the dark, and then I saw you, Daddy. Then Mommy. You were scared of the lady, but you don’t have to be.”

  “Do I want to ask any more questions?” Nye asked Isobel.

  She shook her head. “I don’t think there’s a way around this, Nye. Gabby is going on a suicide mission.” She glanced at Ismena, who was clutching his knees. “She understands more than we ever realized. She’s only a child, but I trust her. She can help.”

  “She doesn’t understand,” he said firmly.

  “Yes, she does. She knows what’s happening. She might not be able to articulate it, but I can see it.”

  Nye wasn’t convinced. “You can see it?”

  “I can’t explain it, but she knows and wants to help.”

  The spy narrowed his eyes and glanced at Ismena, studying her features. “And what do you have to say for yourself, young lady?”

  “I can help Aunt Gabby,” she said defiantly. “I’m a special witch. A good witch. I don’t want her to use the shadow.”

  “The shadow? Well, it’s too late,” he said, glancing at the standing stones. “She’s already siphoning.”

  Ismena let out a startled gasp and took off across the field, running through the grass that came up to her chest. With a roll of his eyes, Nye ran forward, catching the little girl with ease. He lifted her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way with Isobel bringing up the rear.

  The moment they stepped into the firelight, all eyes were on them. Gabby’s attention was brought back to the present, her mouth falling open.

  “Ismena?” she asked. “What…”

  “Don’t, Aunt Gabby,” Ismena said, squirming in Nye’s arms.

  “They stowed away in the boot,” Nye explained, setting her down. “Cunning little thing must’ve used a cloaking spell.”

  “Oh, Mena,” Gabby said with a sigh.

  “Change of plans,” Nye said to the assembled vampires. “Protect Ismena at all costs. There’s no stopping this now. We have to see it through.”

  “But…” Ismena complained.

  “Shh,” Isobel said, smoothing her hand through the little witch’s hair. “We’ll just watch and wait, okay?”

  “Well, well, well, isn’t this just something.” A malicious voice echoed through the darkness, breaking apart the group. “A perfect little family about to be torn apart. How fake it all is.”

  Eleanor stepped into the firelight, causing the three vampires to form a line before Nye, Isobel, and Ismena. Her hair was wild, her curls framing her pale face, her eyes crackling with a storm of siphoned earth energy.

  “She’s darling,” the wraith cooed, her gaze falling on Ismena. “She looks just like her father and that hair… Positively vibrant.”

  “You’ll stay the hell away from her,” Alex snarled, baring his fangs. “She doesn’t belong to you. She’s not a tool for you to manipulate.”

  “This one is so…cute,” the wraith declared, her lip curling. “Thinking because he’s a founder, he has a chance. How arrogant.”

  “Alex, watch out!” Isobel cried, but it was too late.

  The wraith flicked her wrist, sending the founder flying. He collided with one of the standing stones on the outer circle, his neck snapping. The vampire’s head lolled to the side, his body pinned at the pinnacle of the stone.

  Tristan came at Eleanor from behind, and she turned, snarling at the knight, flinging him just as easily as she had Alex. His body slammed against another stone, his head twisting to the side. Their bodies didn’t desiccate, which meant they were still alive. In Alex’s case, there was no doubt he would survive, but Tristan was another story.

  Nye scooped up Ismena in his arms and held her close, shielding her from the wraith.

  “Thank you for delivering everyone in one nice little package, Gabrielle,” Eleanor said with a triumphant smirk. “I was wondering how long it would take you to realize you had to sacrifice yourself in order to save them. Unfortunately, nothing you do will stop me. No matter how much power you siphon, the only thing you’ll end up being is the thing you loathe the most.” She smiled, spreading her arms wide. “Me.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it,” Gabby hissed.

  Reed stepped forward, but the witch held out her hand, stopping him from going any further.

  “Don’t,” Nye hissed at him. “Or you’ll end up like the others.”

  Eleanor laughed, the sound of her voice loud in the silence. “That’s the most intelligent thing I’ve heard you say since I came back.” Her attention turned to Ismena, and she smiled. “You and I shall be together soon, darling. It is destined.”

  “Stay away f
rom her,” Isobel snapped, shifting her body between the wraith and her daughter.

  Eleanor snarled and raised her hand. Isobel was dragged across the clearing by an invisible force, and she fell to her knees before the wraith, gasping for breath.

  “She’ll be mine the moment your bond has been broken,” she snarled. “Mother and father shall be no more, then all that is left is darkness…and I shall begin with you. The feeble human who dared to defy their superior!”

  She pulled a dagger from behind her back, raising it high into the air. Beginning to chant, Eleanor’s form started to flicker, her wraith essence breaking through into the physical realm. She was turning—and from being subjected to Gabby’s incessant mutterings the past few months—Nye knew she would be at her most powerful the moment she transformed into her pure wraith form.

  “Isobel!” Nye cried, unable to help her while he held Ismena. “Move!”

  “I… I… I can’t,” she stammered. “I’m stuck.”

  “Let her go, you bitch!” Gabby let out a roar and stepped forward, her hands raised as she began chanting an incantation of her own.

  As her words gained momentum, Nye could feel the air pulse with power, and the earth began to shake under his feet. Clutching Ismena tightly, he held his ground, Reed beside him. The vampire looked as if he wanted to spring forth, but he stood firmly, knowing his orders were to protect Ismena before everything else.

  Eleanor shrieked in pain, her fists pounding against her head as whatever spell Gabby was hurling at her threw her concentration off. It was enough to break Isobel free, and she rose to her feet, stumbling backward, then she turned and ran.

  Gabby threw her right hand back toward them while her other remained on Eleanor, and a shimmering veil began to descend. A shield. Isobel ran faster toward Nye and Ismena, her eyes wide with fear. She wasn’t going to make it.

  “Isobel, run!” Nye cried, his arms full with his child.

  The shield slammed down, completely separating them, and Isobel ran into it, her fists pounding against the shimmering web.

  “Mommy!” Ismena cried.

  Gabby turned, faltering when she realized what had happened. It was all the time Eleanor needed to break free of her grasp, and she dissolved into thin air. The air fogged around Isobel, and the wraith appeared, the dagger raised to strike.