Spellbound 2 - Everspell

by Samantha Combs

  “I’m really trying to find my mom. Have you seen her?”

  “Afraid I haven’t. There’s just so many people here, it’s hard to see anyone. Sorry, Logan.”

  “Thanks anyway, Libby. I guess we’ll check it out upstairs and see if she’s up there.”

  I really did need to get to my mom as soon as I could. I had parked my dad and Declan in the front room, hoping to get to her before she found them there, but that plan only worked if I could actually find her. I turned to Skylar. “Let’s go upstairs then.”

  We both started to head indoors. The day had noticeably darkened. We hadn’t had a sunset yet but the sky outside seemed to be turning blacker by the second.

  I poked my head back through the sliding glass doors to find I wasn’t the only one who noticed the gathering darkness. Most of the women outside, who had only moments before been laughing and enjoying refreshments and each other’s company, had quieted and were softly muttering and pointing toward the sky.

  I stepped farther outside onto the patio and looked up too. I could easily see what had caused the beautiful day to darken; flying black things filled the air. Tiny specks at first, they were advancing at a rapid pace and seemed to be heading straight for the backyard party. I understood this long before the partygoers. I glanced behind me and telegraphed the situation to Skylar with a few sharp directional nods of my head. There were just too many witches gathered to mindspeak. He picked up on it immediately and shot over to my side.

  “Logan, is that what I think it is?”

  “I’m not sure I know what it is, but I know it ain’t good.”

  “I think it’s Christophe.” Fear peppered Skylar’s words.

  “You think? Of course, it’s Christophe!” I didn’t mean to snap, but I did. Once again, I found myself angered and dumbfounded that in a house normally chock full of spirited witches, I had been unable to find even one. My last meeting with Christophe had been a success because I had so much help from the sister witches; if I had to battle Christophe alone, would this match-up have the same outcome?

  I hardly had time to wonder before I heard the first scream. Quickly followed by a second, then a third, a fourth, and just like that, the entire back yard soon filled with screaming women, rushing around mindlessly, pushing and running into one another.

  Everyone pointed at the sky and tried to find cover. The airborne creatures rapidly closed the distance and soon the air filled with the stench of their putrid, beating wings. Only seconds later, they began dive-bombing the patio. As they struck the ground, my eyes widened in disbelief as I watched them explode into huge rats. It reminded me of the high school dance Serena and I once attended that Christophe tried to destroy, but much, much worse. With horror, I realized that when the rats struck the ladies they burst open releasing some kind of acidic liquid, badly burning the skin of the partygoers. The women were screaming, clutching at one another, tables and chairs had been overturned, and food, smashed glasses and utensils littered the cobblestone floor. In horror, I watched as one woman, repeatedly fighting off the onslaught of the creatures, careened into one of the sturdy tables and fell hard to the concrete, legs tangled in a discarded tablecloth. I was about to rush to her aid when amid all of this chaos and hysteria, my dad and Declan appeared in the doorway.

  “Son! Are you okay!”

  “Dad! Watch out! Don’t come out here!” I had to holler to be heard above the screaming. Skylar and I took refuge under an overturned catering table and we were too far away from the sliding glass door to make a run for it. Bodies and debris littered the path between us and where my dad stood for us to try—too much to make a break for it. Just when I spun around, trying to decide what to do, I finally heard the voice I’d been trying to reach for the last hour.

  Logan, what in the world is going on down there?

  Chapter Forty-one

  SERENA

  It took all four of us to get Sully back on his feet and walk-drag him over to the easy chair in the corner of the room. Jade wasn’t pleased the attention no longer centered on her.

  “Perfect! I’m in labor and he faints.” She leaned over and spoke loudly in her husband’s face. “Let me know when you’re ready to become a daddy, Sully, and we can get this shootin’ match going, okay?”

  “I’m sorry, Jade. I’m ready, I swear. Can you just give me a minute?” It was odd to hear the pleading quality in Sully’s voice. Eden and I exchanged glances. We knew he had been caught off guard. “I wasn’t prepared to hear it right that second, that’s all. I’ll get with the program. I promise.”

  Jade stared at her husband and appeared to soften. She straightened and sat in his lap. “I know you will, Sully. I’m just taking my nervousness out on you. I’m really kind of freaked out this is happening today myself.” She kissed Sully on the cheek. “We’re gonna be parents today, Sul!”

  Eden attempted to take control of the situation. “Jade, have you been monitoring your contractions?”

  Jade looked up sheepishly. “I know I’m supposed to be, but I don’t even have my watch on.”

  I jumped in. “I’ve been trying to time them, Eden. She’s been having them about fifteen minutes apart. Some of them are even farther apart than that. From what I can tell, they don’t seem strong right now.”

  “Well, we know that can change quickly. Let’s get her to the hospital.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Sully? Do you two have a packed suitcase?” I busied myself helping Sully and Prudence bring the suitcase from the closet in Sully and Jade’s room. I didn’t even notice the darkening room until Prudence brought it up.

  “I didn’t realize we’d given the darkest room in the house to Jade.”

  “What?” I had been trying to drag Jade’s suitcase out from the back of her closet. What had she packed in here? An anvil? I poked my head out and realized it was dark in here. “Turn on the light then.”

  “I shouldn’t have to. It’s not even five yet. Why is it so dark?” Prudence crossed the room and peered out the window. “Oh. My. Spells. Serena, get over here.”

  Something in Prudence’s voice made me drop the suitcase and join her at the window right away.

  I stared with dread at the darkened sky. “What is that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Horror spread its chill through me as the darkness took on the shape of things appearing in the sky. They materialized as terrible winged creatures, crashing themselves into the women gathered on the patio. Eden strode purposefully into the room.

  “The spell of protection around the house has been compromised. It appears we are under siege. Everyone downstairs immediately.”

  In that instant, I could hear Logan’s distress clearly and I sent him a signal. We’re on our way.

  ****

  We pounded downstairs and headed for the back yard. Silently, Eden, Prudence and I sent out a call in mindspeak for the rest of our coven sisters to gather with us as quickly as possible. As if by some kind of miracle, finally the communication had been received. Raven and Libby stood in the front room talking animatedly with Declan and Evan, and the twins, Aisling and Echo, Rochelle, and even Gypsy raced into the room. Idly, I wondered where Elizabeth and Lily were. Eden took charge immediately.

  “We are under attack. We have defended and protected ourselves in the past and we shall again.” She turned her attention to our new arrivals. “And who is this?”

  I jumped forward. There was really no time for this. “I’m sorry, Eden. This is Evan Daniels. And I believe you know Declan.” I knew I had glossed over the introductions, but seriously, wasn’t there a demon landing bursting rats all over the patio?

  Faced with the shock of Declan and Evan’s presence, Eden kept her trademark cool, as usual. “Yes, thank you. Good to meet you. You are with us, I assume?” Faced with the imperiousness of her manner and with meeting the fabled leader of the Council, Evan and Declan could only nod. “Fine, then. Let’s get out there. Serena, lead the way.”

 
I should have been frightened, but with each step toward the backyard, I found my pulse quickening and my heart racing, not with fear, but excitement. Behind me, again, were the most talented and experienced witches I knew. We could meet the challenge of Christophe and his minions and whatever he intended to mete out to us head on, with the sure certainty that we were stronger, braver and more skilled in our abilities than any of the evil followers outside of those glass doors. I turned to address the group. I had little to say.

  “Ladies, let’s make this one stick.”

  Chapter Forty-two

  LOGAN

  I know Skylar and I were only underneath that table for a few minutes before I suddenly became ashamed. How could I be hiding and protecting myself when everyone I loved was in danger? I knew what I had to do.

  Without even consulting Skylar, I slid out from the table and began to assess my surroundings. I heard a thunderous sound above me. I jerked my head up, dodging falling rats, and that’s when I realized I wouldn’t be waiting long for the freaky demon to hit this party.

  Christophe stood on the roof of the house, with a pair of his creepy trolls on either side of him. I tensed my muscles, readying for the attack. At the same time, I heard Serena in my head. Logan, we’re here! You aren’t alone! I stumbled backward, so I could see the patio door and the roof at the same time; I couldn’t let Christophe out of my sight. The sliding glass door whipped open and Serena, Eden and Gypsy stepped outside, their dresses billowing in the breeze, making them look supernatural and formidable all at the same time. They shifted outside quickly and behind them the whole coven appeared; Prudence, Raven, Finola, Libby, Aisling and Echo, Tabitha, Eve, Rochelle, even Jade stood in the back, protected by Sully and a circle of the guardian dogs, who were growling and baring their teeth. Only my mom and Elizabeth were missing. Far in the back of my mind, I wondered where they were and if there might be something wrong with the fact that they weren’t here.

  I didn’t have to wonder for long. The atmosphere began to rapidly change. The fat, pulsing rats stopped dropping from the heavens and in the sky, clouds began to form menacing, swirling patterns.

  Christophe greeted us from high atop our home, evilly cheerful. He stood, commanding our attention at the edge of the house, dressed in black pants and shirt with a silky black cape. He wielded an ominous-looking cane. With another chilling laugh, he boomed out a sarcastic greeting. “Good evening, Witches! So sorry for dropping in unexpectedly, but in a way, you could say I’ve been invited.” At that, Christophe flapped his cape with a flourish and whipped it to the side. Tethered together and being held firmly by one of the disgusting little green trolls, my mom and Elizabeth fought helplessly against the bonds.

  “Mom!” I cried out, shock causing me to play right into the demon’s hand. When he heard my anguished cry, he laughed, a deep, disturbing sound.

  “I see you’ve met my dates!” he roared.

  Frantically, I turned toward the patio doors, searching for Serena and Eden, desperate for someone else to bear witness to this obscene horror, for someone else to look me in the eyes and tell me I couldn’t possibly be seeing what was happening right in front of me.

  “Mom! Are you okay?” I hollered up to the roof as loud as I could, but neither my mom nor Elizabeth appeared to hear me.

  A crazy wind whooshed up, howling and stirring anything not nailed down on the patio, created by the coven sisters standing on the cemented floor of the backyard lanai. Serena walked slowly toward the circular barbecue pit, and chairs and tables began to whirl in the air, clearing a path for the witches to form their circle in the middle. As they entered the area, Finola quickly leaned down to the guests, most having taken cover from the aerial onslaught, and cloaked them with invisibility. Raven and Prudence then took over with the injured ones, administering immediate remedies to the worst of their wounded.

  I motioned for Skylar to join us, knowing that he would be better protected with the coven than alone. He darted out from the overturned table and ran to be with the coven. And then, near the back of the coven, my dad and Declan stepped out of the crowd.

  “There the traitor is!” thundered Christophe from our rooftop. In an instant, he swooped down from the top of the house in a purple cloud of smoke and fire, landing in the back of the patio. The trolls followed him clutching the slumped bodies of my mother and Elizabeth. They both seemed to be in some kind of a trance. My dad spotted my mom and lunged forward.

  “Lily!” Declan held my dad back.

  “No, Evan! That’s just what he wants you to do!”

  “He’s right, Evan. Please let us handle it. We’ve dealt with Christophe before.” Eden reached out and placed her hand on my dad’s arm, helping Declan to restrain him.

  “Well, it didn’t seem to take very well, did it?” My dad sounded shaken and who could blame him? The first time he saw my mom after four years and she was in the hands of some crazed demon and his sick trolls!

  Eden turned to face him. Her voice sounded cold and exacting. “No, it didn’t. You can be sure this time we will not fail. Ladies?”

  In an instant, the coven responded, forming the circle I’d gotten so used to seeing. Gypsy motioned over the patio, and instantly all the lights draped across the veranda and through the trees illuminated the area that had been blackened by the darkening night. I watched my witch fiancée take center stage, conjuring the powerful magic she had trained so hard and long to master. Stealthily, the guardian dogs began to take their positions at the four corners of the back yard, preparing to protect their charges from anything that came their way. Everything seemed to be lining up perfectly for the coven to take care of the freak Christophe once and for all and I got anxious for the whoopin’ to begin. Then I heard her.

  “No, Sully, you can’t! You’re not that kind!”

  That sounded like my sister. Screaming at the top of her lungs. And I mean, loud. I could hear her over the banshee of the wind and the trolls and Christophe and everyone else. I whipped my head around to see what in the world could be going wrong now just in time to see Sully charging through the group of witches toward me. I mindjumped him to see what he could possibly be thinking and when I found out, I almost killed him myself. He didn’t want to look like a wuss in front of his wife by letting the women fight his battles? Had he gone freakin’ insane? Didn’t he understand by now, these weren’t just any women? These were super women? I wanted to grab him and try to remind him of this very fact condensed into a three second conversation when he was grabbed, but not by me and not by any of the coven witches, either.

  I never saw the third troll. I’m not sure where he came from and I’m also not sure where they grow trolls that are as strong as my best friend Sully, but this green little freak took my huge friend down in a matter of seconds. The green thing started behind him, and when I blinked again he was on top of him. By the time I realized what had happened, a second troll jumped down from the roof and helped the first one drag Sully over to where Christophe still stood at the back of the garden.

  I couldn’t understand how it had happened so fast right in front of me. I knew someone else who would want to know, too. I snapped my head in my sister’s direction. As soon as she figured out what had happened, Jade lost it. She started wailing and carrying on so badly, I developed fear for her babies.

  I scanned the area wildly, looking for the best way to get to her fast. Eden and the others were way ahead of me. Prudence moved toward her much more rapidly than I could. Cordelia followed right behind her with Finola in tow. They reached her and maneuvered her bodily back into the house.

  Glancing backward into the yard, I noticed Christophe survey the scene with satisfaction. I stared at my mother, still in the ugly troll’s clutches. If I thought the sound of her daughter’s anguish might break her out of her trance, I couldn’t have been more mistaken. Both my mother and Elizabeth remained slumped in the hobgoblin’s obscenely muscular arms.

  Suddenly, Serena reached out and grabb
ed my arm. Her touch so startled me, I nearly jumped out of my skin. Turning, I hugged her hard, overjoyed to be so close to her again.

  “So, what are we going to do now? I can’t just let them take Sully. Not when Jade’s gonna have those babies any day now.”

  Serena’s grip on my arm tightened. “Any minute now, Logan. Jade’s in labor. We know why Christophe is here today. Jade is having her twins today. You have to handle this one yourself.” And with that, she went in to tend to my sister, leaving me and her coven sisters to deal with the demon. I hoped I was up to the task.

  Chapter Forty-three

  JADE

  I sat on the edge of the small sofa the sisters had stuck me on, trying to catch my breath. The latest contraction had rolled over me less than eleven minutes ago and felt like a truck smashed into the side of me. Those stupid movies they made us watch in the birthing classes that made this out to seem all natural and beautiful were a load of hogwash! It wasn’t any of those things! It made me sweaty and it was painful and I felt like a big giant water balloon, blown up with way more inside me than I should have and ready to blow at any second! And now the ugliest kewpie dolls in the world had returned to ruin my life and snatch my husband? Again? Seriously? Did I have to go through this freakin’ nightmare every year of my life? I mean, really, at some point, it just got old!

  “Here, dear, put this on your forehead. It’ll make you feel better.” Eden handed me a cool washrag. I looked at her like she’d gone crazy. A damp washcloth to make the fact that stupid green goons have taken my husband and something the size of a small planet wanted to shove out of me go away? She stood above me holding the rag until I took it. Prudence came up behind her with a small paper cup. Oh, that had to be the infamous ice chips. I took the cup and jiggled it. Yup. Ice chips. Lovely. This wasn’t even real food. And I was sooo hungry.