The Brave Witch

by Chandelle LaVaun

  My pulse quickened. The weight of the world crashed onto my shoulders. Fear bloomed inside me, for my brother, for Emersyn, for what would happen if the Gap was opened. Fear we wouldn’t make it in time. I willed my feet to move faster, but this felt like a dream, where no matter how hard I pushed I barely moved.

  “Right back at you,” I said.

  A loud shriek ripped through the night sky.

  “Faster!” Tennessee yelled.

  I couldn’t tell which part of the park we were in. Our surroundings passed by me in a dark blur. Orange lights flashed by every few seconds on both sides. The ground grew harder and uneven. I squinted, trying to decipher a single detail around me when bright red orbs jumped out from within the shadows.

  “Tennessee!” I shouted.

  “I know. Keep running!”

  “How far?” We had to get there in time. We had to get to Emersyn and Henley before they opened the Gap. I wasn’t sure what had gotten into Henley, or what her plan was, but we had to stop it. If she opened it, a greater demon could enter our world.

  “Just behind those trees,” he shouted back. He didn’t even sound fatigued. He tightened his grip on my elbow and pulled me around a corner…and right into a horde of red-eyed demons.

  I choked on a gasp. I tried to stop my feet from moving, but I’d been going too fast. My body flew into the air, face-first toward the hungry demons. Something hot gripped my ankle and yanked me backward. I flipped head over back then landed on my feet directly behind Tennessee. Oh my God. Did he just do that?

  “Get that blade out.” He raised both hands, and the air around them pulsed with energy. His black dagger flew out of his boot and into his left palm. He glanced back at me. “Please, tell me you’re trained for this part.”

  My mother’s dagger was already in my hand, ready and waiting. I tightened my grip on the white hilt. “Yep.” Thank God.

  The demons moved forward as a unit, closing in on us with orange goo oozing from their mouths. The scar on my chest ignited with a rush of heat. These guys did this to me.

  “We’re doing to slice and dice on the run, got it?”

  Not at all. “Yup.”

  “Liar.” He chuckled. “One…two…three…run!”

  I sprinted forward without hesitation. My mother’s dagger sang with raw energy, buzzing against my palm. I didn’t know how he could be so calm in the face of a fight like this. We were outnumbered three to one. At least.

  With the hand not holding his dagger, he reached out and grabbed mine as we charged through the middle of the demons. I swung my weapon like Uncle Kessler had taught me, slicing into one monster at a time. Yellow blood splattered all over me as I made each hit. My skin burned everywhere it touched me, and my clothes sizzled with smoke. But I couldn’t slow down to inspect for wounds.

  Tennessee released my hand. Before I could panic, he reached down and wrapped his arm around my hips…then threw me into the air like a baseball. I screamed and soared above him. Royce always joked Tennessee wasn’t human at all. Now I get it. He’d thrown my hundred-and-twenty-pound body at least fifty feet into the air like I weighed no more than a throw pillow. I soared through the sky in slow motion, watching him fight below me in perfect clarity.

  There was a swooshing sound and a blast of cold air, then Tennessee’s sword slammed into his open palm. He gripped the hilt and swirled the weapon around. He flipped and turned, dove and ducked with both weapons in hand. He took out a dozen demons before I even began falling back to the ground.

  “Tennessee!” I shrieked, unable to stop myself. I dropped fast. Wind rushed by my face, twisting my hair around my neck and arms. I threw my arms out behind me to try and break my fall…and landed gently in Tennessee’s arms.

  He beamed down at me. “Got ya’.”

  I jumped to my feet and shoved him. “A little warning next time!” My chest heaved and my fingers trembled. Adrenaline rushed through me like electricity.

  He grinned, completely unrepentant. “Sorry, Kitten.”

  A wild roar broke through the night, snapping me back to attention. I spun around and eyed the path in front of us. More demons. This time they had wings and multiple legs. Behind them, a small army of fairy-spirits.

  Tennessee cursed. I adjusted my hold on my mother’s dagger. Okay, round two. I can do this. I summoned my magic and pushed it out. Dirt raised in the air around us.

  A loud horn blared a split second before a burst of light exploded above the trees like a nuclear bomb. The ground rumbled. My balance was thrown, and I fell to my knees. Even Tennessee had dropped down to one leg.

  He cursed. “They opened the Gap! Tegan, run! I’ll cover you. You have to stop them!”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Tegan

  I clenched my teeth and sprinted toward the trees he’d said stood between us and the Gap. Shrieks of metal and pain echoed from behind me, but I didn’t glance back. I had to find Bentley. I had to get to Emersyn and Henley. I had to stop them from letting a greater demon in. I had to trust that Tennessee was a terrifying force of nature who’d be perfectly fine on his own.

  I dug the heels of my combat boots into the ground as hard and fast as possible. There was a designated path around the man-made forest, but I didn’t have time to waste. Instead, I ripped right through the trees. With my power gushing out of me in waves, I dodged low branches and hopped over large roots like an Olympic athlete. When I pushed through the last of the trees, my heart stopped. Just up ahead was Fairy Fountain…and pouring from the top of it was a bright beam of light. It looked like a skyscraper you’d find in Manhattan. With every step I took, the light grew brighter and thicker.

  They opened it.

  I looked down to the base of the fountain and gasped. Emersyn and Henley sat on their knees facing each other, holding their palms together high up in the air. A neon green mist billowed from within the sliver of space between their hands.

  No. No. No. I pushed my legs to move faster. EMERSYN! I screamed in my mind, but she didn’t react at all. Their faces were turned up to the stars, their eyes squeezed shut. They chanted in words I didn’t understand.

  Where’s Bentley? I glanced around as I ran, hoping I’d see him, but he was nowhere to be found. My stomach twisted into knots. Keep running! A flash of light brought my focus back to the fountain. It was Emersyn. She’d sparked up more than I’d ever seen her do before. The entire upper half of her glowed bright. My heart sank. NO! I had to do something. Our time was about to be up.

  Keltie’s words echoed in my mind: Control is…limiting. You can create.

  Without slowing my pace, I narrowed my eyes and pushed my magic into the ground beneath my twin. The world under them rocked. Little pieces of the fountain broke off and crashed into the pool. Henley’s head snapped toward the fountain beside her, but Emersyn’s gaze stayed locked on the tower of light.

  EMERSYN, STOP! I had to pull them apart. Whatever that green mist was needed to be stopped. Except I was still too far away.

  But that water isn’t. A wild idea popped into my mind. I didn’t know if it would work, but I had to try. I threw my hands out in front of me and focused my magic on the pool of water at the fountain’s base. I curled my fingers, feeling the water’s power in my gut, then raised my arms. Two giant fists of water emerged from the pool. I reached forward with my hands, and the water mirrored me. I curled my fingers, willing the water to wrap around Emersyn and Henley…and then I yanked them apart.

  The beam of light turned blood-red, and a loud hissing noise bubbled up from within. A greater demon. I looked back down and found my twin sprawled on the ground a few feet away, struggling to get back up with the ground shaking. Henley climbed back to her knees and crawled toward the fountain.

  NO! I was almost there. I screamed as loud as I could, and my magic exploded within me, carrying my feet faster. I lowered my head and squared my shoulders…then dove right into Henley. We flew through the air then splashed into the fountain’s pool. />
  “Tegan?” Emersyn yelled in shock.

  I fisted my free hand in Henley’s black shirt and pulled her face out of the water. I glanced over my shoulder at my twin. “Close the Gap, Em! Close it NOW!”

  A low, menacing chuckle bubbled up from beneath me. “You’re too late.”

  I looked down at Henley and gasped. A pair of scarlet-red eyes glared up at me. My stomach turned. “You’re not Henley.” I pressed the blade of my mother’s dagger against her porcelain white throat.

  The not-Henley grinned. “She’s in here, too…for now.”

  My eyes widened. “Is that Gap closed yet, Em?”

  “I’m trying!” my twin yelled back.

  “Go ahead, close it. This won’t be over,” the creature inside of Henley hissed. “But little Bentley will be.”

  Tennessee get over here!

  I snarled and pushed my dagger harder against her throat until a sliver of blood trickled onto my blade. This thing wasn’t Henley. “Where is my brother?”

  “Behind the castle. But only until the Gap closes, then he’s gone.”

  TENNESSEE! NOW!

  This thing isn’t Henley!

  It says Bentley is behind the castle!

  The water at my feet pulsed with raw energy. A miniature whirlpool formed then sucked Henley beneath the surface. She thrashed and kicked, but the water held her down.

  A gust of warm, fresh-rain scented air brushed over my face. I looked over my shoulder and spotted Tennessee practically flying toward us.

  “Tegan, go!” Tennessee shouted. “I’ll close it! Get to Bentley!”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Tegan

  “Behind the castle?” Emersyn screamed. She charged toward the pool with her hands in fists at her sides. White smoke seeped out of the cracks in the cobblestone under her feet. Her golden eyes were wide and her cheeks flushed. “You told me he was in the Gap!”

  I pushed through Tennessee’s whirlpool and jumped out of the pool just in time to catch my twin before she climbed in. I grabbed her wrists and dragged her away from the fountain. “Em, no!”

  She tugged at my hold, trying to go back. “She tricked me!”

  I splashed her face with water, forcing her attention back to me. I grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “That’s not Henley! She’s been possessed, and it lied to you. The string of lies must come undone!”

  Emersyn paled. She glanced back and forth between me and the pool a few times, then finally rested on me. “So he’s behind the castle?”

  “Yes, let’s go!” I grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a run with me, and this time she didn’t fight it. I peeked over my shoulder and saw Tennessee jump into the fountain pool. “Come on. He can’t close it until we find him.”

  “Wait!” Emersyn yanked me to a stop and pointed in the other direction. “She said behind the castle! Royce showed me a shortcut during training. This way!”

  I followed her without hesitation. If she knew a shortcut, then I had to trust her. Emersyn led me toward a small bridge tucked away from the main pathway. We ran through a patch of trees and directly onto the cobblestone path. Up ahead, the stone castle loomed over us, half in shadow and half lit by the moon.

  “This is all my fault,” Emersyn cried from beside me.

  “You didn’t know!” When she didn’t respond, I peeled my gaze off our path and looked at her tear-streaked face. “Emersyn, they didn’t teach us this stuff. They didn’t teach us that demons couldn’t take things back through the Gap with them. They didn’t tell us our friends, whom we trust, could be possessed by whatever that is.”

  “But what have I done?”

  I opened my mouth then shut it again. I had no idea what she’d done. The Gap appeared to be open, and it looked like a greater demon was trying to get through, but I refused to say those words out loud. I also refused to let myself or anyone else blame Emersyn for it.

  I cleared my throat. “We’ll fix it. Whatever it is.”

  We ran down the cobblestone pathway until there was a break in the stone wall. The Haunted Palace ride entrance was back there somewhere, but in the dark, I couldn’t tell where. We were behind the castle, so now we just had to find where that thing hid Bentley.

  A large, dark object jumped out in front of us. It spread massive black wings and blocked our path. I slid to a stop and raised my mother’s dagger in the air. Beady red eyes glared down at me. It opened its mouth, and bubbly venom oozed from its fangs. I leapt forward and sliced my dagger through the air, slashing the demon across the chest. It screamed out in pain. Blood gushed from its wound, splattering across my entire body. It smelled like burnt rubber and sizzled against my bare skin.

  Emersyn jumped out from behind me and swung her blade in an upward motion, tearing the demon’s face open. It stumbled backward a few feet, howling and hissing, and then it choked. Something on its chest glistened in the moonlight. The demon gurgled then disintegrated at our feet.

  Cooper stood where the demon had just been, his sword still in the air. “Are you all right? Did it get you?” His light green eyes scanned our bodies frantically.

  “Where’s Bentley?” I asked, ignoring his questions.

  Cooper frowned and looked around. “I haven’t seen him. I just got here, heard your telepathy that he was back here, so I came running.”

  I cursed and pushed my hair out of my face. “Henley said he was here.”

  “Bentley?!” Emersyn shouted. “Bentley!”

  “He’s not here. I searched this entire area right after you said it.” Cooper scowled and scratched the back of his blond head. “Wait, Henley said he was here?”

  “Well, the demon currently taking residence in her body did.”

  “Henley is possessed?” Cooper blanched. But then he narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the side. “What were her—its—exact words?”

  “I said ‘where is my brother?’, and it said ‘behind the castle’, so I don’t get it.” I shook my head then rubbed the demon blood off my face. “Is there another castle?”

  “Yeah, like a smaller one? Or a fake one?” Emersyn fidgeted with her dagger. “I mean she already tricked me once, so it’s safe to assume she’d do it again.”

  “To save the soul of not just one, the string of lies must come undone.” I groaned. “We have to figure this out. We’re missing something here.”

  “This is the only castle of any kind here.” Cooper sighed. A look of utter defeat covered his face, and his shoulders slumped. He shook his head. “Though, she did trick you.”

  “How?” Emersyn and I asked in perfect unison.

  “Because…” Cooper closed his eyes and cringed, like he was in physical pain. In the moonlight, his blond hair looked white like snow. He wouldn’t look at us. “She meant me.”

  Emersyn shook her head and waved her hand. “No, she specifically said our brother, not our cousin.”

  A cold chill tingled down my spine and fluttered in my gut. It was that feeling, the one I got when I sensed something I couldn’t see with my eyes. “Cooper…” I said through clenched teeth.

  He took a deep breath, looked each of us in the eyes…then said, “I am your brother.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Tegan

  “WHAT?” Emersyn shouted.

  I opened my mouth then shut it again. Did he just… What did he… What? I scowled. “Say what?”

  Cooper tucked his sword into the holster on his hip. He scrubbed his face with both hands. “I said…I am your brother.”

  “What…do…you…mean?” I said between breaths. My heart pounded in my chest. The glow of my body brightened until Cooper had to glance away. “What the hell do you mean, Cooper?”

  “Talk fast, Cooper,” Emersyn snapped.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Cooper said with his palms raised in surrender. His eyes were dark and tortured. “I hate this. Your parents are my parents.”

  I screamed through clenched teeth. “How dare you!”
I stepped forward and shoved my brother.

  He staggered backwards. “I’m sorry—”

  “Oh, you’re sorry? Well, I’m not sorry for this.” I punched him in the shoulder. I growled, like actually growled. “We are so not done here, but right now, we have to find Bentley.”

  “You know, our little brother, you jerk!” Emersyn snapped. But then she gasped and spun around to face me. “Oh my God. The Gap. The Henley-monster said we only had until it closed, and then he’d be gone. He’s not here!”

  “Wait a second.” Cooper’s eyes widened as he looked at something in the distance behind us. His face lit up. “Henley is possessed, probably has been since that night the shadow monster showed up. She’s been acting weird since then.”

  “There better be a relevant point in this epiphany, or so help me Goddess…”

  “After you left detention today, I was at the house talking to Bentley. He asked me where lookout tower was. He said Henley told him about it.” He snapped his fingers.

  “Lookout tower?” Emersyn asked, beating me to it.

  “It’s here in the park.”

  My body turned to ice. “If its goal was to trick either of us into helping it open the Gap to bring a greater demon in, then I’d bet it tricked Bentley into going there to lure us.”

  “Exactly. I didn’t think anything of it before… Come on, let’s go.” He took off running down the cobblestone pathway, away from the castle and toward the forest. “Stay close to me!”

  Emersyn and I sprinted to catch up to his long-legged pace.

  “I don’t understand. What’s lookout tower?” Emersyn asked between labored breaths as we ran.

  “It’s our hiding spot in the park. We put up special charms and spells to block anyone who isn’t a Card from finding it.”

  Please let him be there. That familiar tingling sensation filled my gut. There was something we were missing. What would the Henley-thing use to lure a nine-year-old? It must’ve had something to do with being Hierophant. That was the only thing that made sense. The question was, what did she do to him?