The Shattered Seam (Seam Stalkers Book 1)

by Kathleen Groger

  Snap.

  The chandelier dropped a few more feet and hung from the ceiling by a lone wire. Then it gave way. The entire thing dropped and smashed into the floor on top of the starburst inlay.

  Crystals exploded and shot across the marble. Light bulbs popped. Chauncey whined and ducked into the command center. Kyle and I covered our heads. A piece of glass nicked my arm. Then it was over.

  I looked at Kyle. Dried blood caked his face, and the skin below his eye had turned a dull shade of charcoal. “He’s still here, isn’t he?”

  “I think so. We gotta go. The fire’s coming.” We ran for the front door.

  As I reached the iron handle, the distinctive click of a lock slamming home echoed through the otherwise silent castle.

  “Oh no, you don’t. You’re not locking us in here.” Kyle grabbed my arm. “Back door.”

  Craaack.

  “What now?” Kyle pulled me to his side. “No more.”

  The marble floor popped and groaned. Kyle shoved me behind him and up against the door. I forced myself to his side; I needed to see what was happening.

  The floor shook.

  “Is it an earthquake?” I yelled over the rumbling.

  Before Kyle could answer, the marble broke apart at the starburst. Parts of the floor dropped away. Crystals and glass pieces from the light fell down the hole.

  “Holy hell.” Kyle blocked me with his arm. He didn’t have to. There was no way I was moving closer to the gaping hole spreading in the floor.

  Sparks shot from the exposed wires of the smashed chandelier. The floor shook again and I couldn’t tear my gaze from the starburst pattern. Or what had been the starburst pattern.

  “Do you see that?” Tremors rolled up my hand, and pulses of icy-hotness stabbed my chest.

  When the pieces fell into the gaping abyss, it left a new design in the floor.

  A pentagram.

  30

  The floor rumbled again. Smoke and black mist oozed up and around the circle-encased marble inverted star.

  Flames followed the smoke and mist. Deep, blue-hot flames filled the hole. The floor shook and sent me sliding into Kyle.

  “What’s happening?” The tone of Kyle’s voice matched the fright on his face.

  “Release us,” I yelled.

  A groan that sounded like it started in the bowels of the earth roared up toward us. The flames shot up in height, and the noise grew deafening. Then the flames turned a dark purple, and the pentagram burst apart, pieces of marble blowing from the floor. Something wrapped in a gray substance rocketed through the flames and landed on the side opposite the entry. The fire died back.

  “What is that?” Kyle asked.

  “It’s. It’s—” I pushed Kyle aside and ran toward what looked like a body. “Oh my God, it’s Eric. Please don’t be dead. Please. Please.”

  He was twisted at an unnatural angle and covered in a soot-colored slime the consistency of maple syrup. A stench of rotten garbage wafted from the substance.

  “Eric, come on. You’ve got to get up.” I bent down to touch him. Black mist surrounded us. I tore my gaze from Eric’s rising and falling chest. The mist was everywhere and getting denser. Solid shapes began to form.

  “Sam, we—”

  Chauncey howled from the command center. I gasped and clutched my chest. Pain radiated out into my fingers and toes but was strongest at my breastbone. I rubbed the spot. Marisol’s necklace swung from my hand.

  The mists twirled like miniature tornadoes, around and around, higher and higher. Kyle latched onto my elbow and tugged me back a step. A bizarre mixture of sulfur and spice scented the air.

  The mist cleared, revealing three separate shadows. They were more solid than the mist that had choked me in the turret, but they didn’t have a definitive human shape. They were shaped like funnel clouds. Glowing red eyes were their only distinct feature, just like the demons on the fireplace in Novak’s bedroom.

  “Shit.” Kyle moved between me and the things.

  “Oh God.” I swallowed, gasping for breath.

  The biggest and closest shadow had to be seven feet tall. It shifted, and for a second, the dark mass pixelated like Daniel’s face had, and the shadow became a winged, cloven-footed demon. When I blinked, the demon faded back inside the shadow.

  Demon shadows. Oh, hell. I fought to maintain control, but fear burned through my insides, increasing in intensity. My heart pounded harder and harder. The shadows spun circles around us.

  I pulled on Kyle’s sleeve. “What now?”

  He turned to me for the briefest of seconds. “We fight. It’s all we can do.”

  We had no weapons, but we were going to attempt to fight shadow demons. I swallowed a harsh laugh. We didn’t stand chance.

  Kyle roared and charged the first dark mass, trying to tackle it like he had Daniel. The shadow formed an arm and smacked Kyle across the chest.

  The other two shadows emanated a gravelly noise that scratched my eardrums. Pain filled my ears and shot down through my teeth and jaw. Panic shook my legs. The two smaller shadows stayed behind the tallest one like they were waiting for orders to attack.

  Eric groaned and rolled ever so slightly. The shape closest to him shifted, but then turned its red eyes back to me like it knew Eric wasn’t a threat.

  I prayed for a quick and painless death. I prayed heaven existed. I prayed Nana would be there to guide me. Fear coursed through me, and it seemed the more scared I became, the brighter their eyes glowed.

  A flash of white sparkled in front of me, then winked out. The orbs from the dungeon? Had they come to guide me?

  Marisol had said I could get rid of Novak. I’d tried to banish him and failed. I wished she had told me how to do it. I should have paid more attention to Eric when he talked about evil manifestations. These weren’t regular shadow figures. These were evil creatures conjured by Novak to kill me.

  Kyle ran at the biggest shadow and punched the figure in what would have been its chest if it were human. The shadow didn’t react to the hit. It formed a solid hand, lifted Kyle up over its head, and threw him to the floor. He landed with a thump and a crunch on the marble next to the gaping hole where the pentagram had formed.

  Rage at Novak pushed me forward. I had to figure out what Marisol had meant for me to do with my power and her necklace.

  I ran my fingertip over the dark stone. Small pewter-colored circles dotted the surface and flared with heat.

  The shadow figures cried a high-pitched wail.

  I clutched the pendant tighter and ran to the spot where the pentagram had appeared. The shadow leader hit me in the back of the knees, and I went down sprawling, spinning across the floor. The pendant flew from my grasp and landed near Kyle.

  The two smaller shadows spun into the air and circled the three-story entryway. The colored banners snapped back and forth. The biggest shadow moved toward me.

  I rolled as the figure punched a basketball-sized hole into the marble where my head had been seconds before. Smoke spiraled out of the hole. I dove toward the necklace. The shadow spun and struck me in the shin. Pain burst in my leg and spidered into my lower back.

  “Sam, get out of here.” Kyle rushed the shadow. It turned, clutched him by the shirt, and lifted him into the air.

  “I’m not leaving you. I need to stop this. Them. Him.” I crawled the last few inches and palmed Marisol’s pendant.

  The two shadows swooped down, passing so close to me, my hair moved in the wind they created. I slid to the edge of the circle. Smoke blew into my face and curdled in my lungs. I looked down. Whatever nerve I still possessed deserted me. The hole had to descend directly to hell itself.

  The shadows did another fly-by, then landed on either side of me, trapping me. The figures howled, the fetid air they released made my stomach churn.

  The shadow on my left swung and hit me in the shoulder. Pain exploded down my arm. Tears burning my eyes, I smashed the pendant against the marble floor.


  The sound of stone meeting stone reverberated like a shotgun blast, so much louder than it should have been. The pendant broke, and clear liquid rushed out, covering my hand. The liquid was thick like honey and smelled like sun, goodness, love.

  The shadows screeched and floated back as if the liquid tore at them. Kyle, still held aloft by the leader, screamed. Eric groaned. Chauncey barked from the command center. Blood rushed in my ears.

  I blocked it all out and focused. I had the ability to save Eric and Kyle. I was a medium. I focused on calling positive energy.

  I rubbed my hands together and moved around the hole, drawing a thick line around the outside of the opening. The substance congealed. I was following a hunch, or maybe something divine guided my hand. When I reached the spot where I started, closing the four-foot wide circle, a wave of heat blasted me in the face, and my palms burned as if they were on fire.

  “I command the spirits of light to send the evil spirits back where they came from and rid this island of their presence forever. Then may you rest and move beyond.”

  One of the dark masses smashed into me. I dropped to the floor on my stomach. The shadow dug into my back.

  Smoke stung my eyes and filled my lungs. Tears rained down my face and dropped into the circle I had made with the thick liquid from the pendant.

  The smoke turned white and exploded, blowing the rest of the floor inside my circle away. The force of that knocked the shadow and me against the wall.

  The figure writhed in what looked like agony. Kyle poked the one holding him in the eyes. It screeched and wrapped Kyle in misty vapor before they hit the floor.

  My body stung like my skin had been peeled away. Fire erupted through the hole and spread through the room, latching on to any piece of burnable material it could find. I scrambled away. A three-foot-wide gap opened in the floor and sucked in the shadow closest to me. It squealed and hissed and popped as an orange lava-like fluid spewed from the chasm.

  A stench similar to charred meat filled the room. I gagged and coughed. The smoke grew thicker and denser.

  Tears blurring my eyes, I staggered over to where the biggest shadow bent over Kyle. I ignored my pain and fear, but couldn’t ignore the evil.

  “No!”

  I launched myself onto the figure. It was solid but also squishy. The shadow figure howled. The vibrations from its cry shook me, but I hung on. The figure arched and I fell onto the floor and screamed. Kyle rolled out of its clutches.

  I stared at the spot where I had grabbed the thing. Its shadowy form glowed white hot and shimmered there. My hands tingled. The figure turned. I tried to crawl away, but a crushing wave of pain pinned me in place.

  “Don’t hurt her,” Kyle yelled and jumped onto the figure like I had. It twisted and tried to buck Kyle off.

  The fire reached the staircase and began to climb upward.

  The remaining small shadow roared and lifted Eric by his underarms.

  “Kyle, guide it to the gap. We need to knock them in.” Somehow I knew if they went in the hole, my protection circle would seal them inside.

  The biggest shadow released a hissing steam that glowed in shades of red. Kyle pulled at the creature, and they went to the floor. The shadow spun and grabbed Kyle by the leg, dragging him toward the hole.

  “No,” I screamed and crawled forward.

  “Sam,” Eric said.

  I rolled over. The other figure had lifted Eric above its head to toss him into the flaming pit.

  Chauncey growled, raced from the command center, and charged the biggest shadow. He latched onto the end of the funnel-shaped form.

  The shadow slammed Kyle’s shoulder on the marble, inches from the fire-filled hole.

  “Kyle!” I scrambled to my feet.

  The shadow hit Chauncey with a solid arm. The dog let go and spiraled toward the gap. Kyle reached out and hooked him by the collar, pulling him to safety.

  The shadow figure swept into both Chauncey and Kyle. It knocked Chauncey into the wall with a sickening thud and shoved Kyle toward the fire.

  The second figure released what sounded like a maniacal laugh and glided closer to the hole, ready to drop Eric.

  I ran, aiming for the lower end of the mass. I wrapped my arms around the figure. My arms tingled and burned with a stabbing sting. I pushed hard enough to knock Eric from its grip. He landed with a wet thunk on the marble and didn’t move.

  “Eric!” I reached for him.

  The shadow recovered, picked me up by my hair, and my feet scraped across the floor as it dragged me to the edge of the inferno.

  “I command all evil to leave this place.” I shifted and clamped my hands on the spongey mass. Burning pain zipped up my arms. The creature screamed, a high-pitched wail that shook my spine, but I didn’t let go. The figure released my hair, and I seized the opportunity to throw all my weight into it. It crumpled, and we spun closer to the flames.

  “Sam!” Kyle struggled to free himself from the biggest shadow, and it pushed him into the hole filled with fire.

  Kyle snatched at the jagged edge of the floor and hung on by one hand.

  I let go of the shadow figure, reached out, and wiped thick liquid from the necklace all over my palm. The creature bent low.

  I forced myself up, jumped, and slapped my hand across the figure’s eyes. It howled and staggered. The second shadow leaned over me. Smoke stung my eyes. I ducked down and brought my palm up into what would be the shadow leader’s nose in a move Eric had taught me when I was thirteen. The shadow I’d blinded stumbled and crashed into the big one, knocking them both to the floor.

  “Kyle, hold on.” I kicked at the figures before they could get up.

  “Go back to the hell you came from.” I kicked them harder and harder, pushing them inch by inch to the edge. They reached my circle of protection, and a sound similar to a scream, but much more terrifying, poured from the shadow creatures.

  This was it. I backed up, ran, and slammed my boot into the bigger one. It reached out with a solid arm, but I had hit it too hard. The force slammed it into the other creature, and they both dropped, hissing and popping into the flames.

  I fell to my knees and clutched Kyle’s wrist.

  “Hang on. I’ll pull you out.” I tugged, but I couldn’t raise him.

  “Sam.”

  The way he said my name made me stop. I looked into his dark eyes, not focusing on the cut, the blood, the bruise. “Don’t say it. I’m not giving up. I’ll get you out.”

  “It hurts.”

  I looked past his face. The flames wound up his legs. I focused on his tear-filled eyes. “Look at me. I’ll get you out. I’m not losing you too.” I shifted to a crouch, renewed my pulling, and he moved up an inch. “See? It’s working.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t hold on much longer.”

  “Stop it. Stop it. Don’t say that.” I yanked harder. My shoulders and back screamed. My boots slid forward, pulling me toward the gap.

  “Sam, you have to let go, or I’ll drag you down too.” His words ripped open a void in what remained of my heart. “You know, I was a fool. I should have kissed you when I had the chance.”

  The void expanded and shredded my heart into pieces. “Don’t say that. I’ll kiss you after I get you out. I promise.”

  I yanked harder, and his chest hit the edge of the gap. I was going to save him.

  The flames roared and burst higher. A charcoal-colored claw reached up and sank into Kyle’s back. I pulled harder, but the shadow figure had gravity working for it.

  Kyle’s wrist slipped from my grasp, and the dark mass dragged him into the pit of fire.

  “Nooooo!” I reached down. The heat blew into my face, and my hands seemed to turn to liquid. I jerked up and back as the fire formed a funnel, spiraling higher and higher. Dizzy from heat and smoke, I struggled to my knees.

  The floor groaned and shifted. Gold-colored marble pieces came up from the hole and formed inside the circle, and the gap began to close. The
tower of fire glowed bright orange. The fire eating up the walls and stairs whooshed down into the chasm and disappeared. The marble groaned and creaked, sealing itself shut, like the hole to hell was never there. I jumped to my feet.

  The shadow figures were gone. The fire was gone. The gap was gone. Kyle was gone.

  The floor had sealed itself into the pattern of two entwined diamonds tilted to make an eight-pointed star.

  I raced to where Eric lay unmoving on the floor and dropped to my knees. “Eric? Wake up.” I put my hand to his neck. The slime smoked, and I pulled back. His chest didn’t move.

  I dragged myself across the marble to Chauncey’s side, burying my face in his fur. “Chauncey, can you hear me, boy? Come on, buddy, wake up.” He opened his eyes, lifted his head, then collapsed again. I tried to rub his fur, but my hands hurt really bad. I held them up, and the sight almost made me vomit. The skin was charred and red and covered in blisters.

  Pain I hadn’t noticed before slammed through me. I rested my head on Chauncey’s side. White-hot needles poked my muscles and snipped my nerves. Vise grips clamped down on my chest.

  This was it.

  I’d lost.

  Lost the battle, lost the war. The castle had won. Evil had won.

  Novak had won.

  31

  I tried to open my eyes and failed. I was done.

  Flashes of what had happened danced across my eyelids: Kyle’s face as he’d vanished into the fire, Eric crumpling to the floor, Daniel possessed by Novak, Novak slashing Marisol’s throat. Black shadows. White shadows.

  I moaned and left my body, beginning the final journey. Weightless, flying, I saw Nana, men in uniforms, three pairs of glowing red eyes, clawed hands reaching out, covering my face, smothering me, sending me into oblivion.

  32

  I opened my eyes. I couldn’t focus. Everything was blurry. I couldn’t breathe.

  Something was choking me. I tried to reach for my neck. My hands were like rocks, and wires pinned my arms to my sides. I tried to swallow but couldn’t. Something filled my throat.