by Sarra Cannon
“We would be honored,” she said, stepping forward.
My hands trembled by my side, and I balled them into fists so that no one would see my fear. I couldn’t speak and no longer had the energy to fight. Now that the priestess understood what I knew, she would never let me live.
“Harper Madison Brighton, you have been sentenced to death for betrayal of loyalty,” Priestess Winter began. “Will the members of the Harris family step forward and take a place on each of the five points of the star?”
Mrs. Harris and her two older daughters stepped forward and each took a spot on the star etched into the floor. Brooke reluctantly joined her family on the fourth point. Priestess Winter took the fifth and final spot. She handed the chalice to Mrs. Harris and lifted the ritual dagger into the air.
As the rest of the coven began to chant, the blue stone in the floor glowed deep within its core. The portal opened with a flash of blue light.
My heart was heavy in my chest. I tried to find some small power burning inside me, but it was too late. I was too tired and too broken.
I closed my eyes as the dagger moved through the air. I held my head high and prayed for it to be over quickly.
I wondered if I would be welcomed into heaven.
I wondered if my mother would be there waiting for me.
Waited For The End
An icy chill passed through me as I waited for the end to come.
Under my bare feet, ice spread across the cold floor like a wave. My eyes flew open in confusion.
The silver dagger was frozen in place inches from my neck. Priestess Winter screamed as the ice stretched up her arm. I turned in time to see Jackson, Mary Anne, and Lea race down the stairs behind me.
Time seemed to pass by in slow motion. All of the other witches in the room were frozen in a block of ice, but the priestess was too strong even for Jackson’s magic. White crystals formed along her shoulder, then quickly began to thaw again. Water dripped down onto the floor.
Panic seized me. I had to do something or she would kill us all.
I reached deep inside the core of my power, finding a strength I never knew I had. It was a strength full of love and hope and truth. I connected to that strength, like dipping my hand into a stream of pure energy.
Lifting my bruised hands into the air, I created a shield between me and the priestess just as she pulled free of the ice, her dagger slicing through the air. The silver connected with my shield and broke into a thousand pieces.
The priestess stared at me in shock as the force of the explosion pushed her back against the stone wall.
Jackson reached for me, and I braced myself for the twisting and turning of his shadow form.
Only he didn’t shift. Instead, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me forward toward the open portal.
We tumbled into a pool of blue light, leaving one dimension and entering another.
Is This Heaven?
“Block the portal,” Jackson shouted. “Now.”
It all happened in a blur. My shoulder hit the ground with a crack.
In a daze, I saw Lea casting some kind of black mist that hid the blue light of the portal from view. Mary Anne rolled to her side, cursing as she held her leg.
Jackson touched my face. “Are you okay?”
We lay together on a sheet of smooth obsidian glass. I looked up into his eyes, never so happy to see anyone in my life. The tears I’d been holding for so long finally flowed freely.
“I can’t believe you came for me,” I said, tears streaming across my temples and into my hair. “You could have died.”
“Without you, I wouldn’t want to live,” he said. He brought his lips to mine and pulled me into his arms.
I smiled up at him, still unable to believe I was alive.
I sat up and looked out at the endless terrain of black rock and lavender skies. “Is this heaven?” I asked.
“No,” he said, helping me stand. “This is the shadow world.”
DEMONS FOREVER
The 5th and final Book of the Peachville High Demons Series
Fall 2011
About the Author
Sarra Cannon grew up in a small town in Georgia where she learned that being popular always comes at a price. Now, she lives in North Carolina with her amazing husband and her teeny tiny Pomeranian, Snickerdoodle. Books and music are her greatest passions. She has never been a cheerleader, but it’s possible she knows a few things about casting spells.
Connect with Me Online:
Website: www.sarracannon.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sarramaria
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sarracannon
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/sarra_cannon
My Blog: thesweetiechronicles.blogspot.com
Look for the next exciting new series from author Sarra Cannon Fall 2011:
PANDEMIC
For sixteen-year-old Parrish Sorrows, life is a nightmare. Two weeks ago, her biggest worry was that she would never crawl out of the shadow of her younger sister, the violin prodigy, or get up the nerve to talk to the cute boy that lives across the street. But everything changes when Parrish is awakened at three in the morning to find her mother convulsing and burning with fever. She can’t get through to her father and sister in New York and 9-1-1 keeps giving her a busy signal. When she finally decides to go to the hospital, soldiers in hazmat suits pull her mother from the car and take her into quarantine.
The mysterious virus spreads faster than a nasty rumor, killing billions within weeks. Soon, Parrish is forced to come to grips with the death of her parents and the realization that nothing will ever be the same again. And just when things can’t get worse, the dead begin to rise, feasting on the flesh of survivors.
In order to be reunited with her sister in New York, Parrish must embark on a perilous journey. Along the way, she teams up with four others whose destinies, like hers, are connected to the mysterious virus. Because unlike the Black Death or the Spanish flu, this virus has a supernatural source, and Parrish and her friends slowly discover that they alone have the power to rid the earth of this great evil.
PANDEMIC: A Young Adult Paranormal novel about a group of teen heroes who must come to terms with their new magical abilities while trying to survive the zombie apocalypse.
They are about to find out that zombies are the least of their problems.
Table of Contents
Vengeance
Then Who?
A Pair That Looked Just Like This
Famous Last Words
Just Be Yourself
This All Belongs To You
A Key
Worth Fighting For
You Will Pay For This
A New Purpose
We Don't Have Much Time
The Witch In The Woods
Feel It In My Bones
I Was Afraid You Would Say That
Rattle Some Cages
Who Knew Being A Cheerleader Could Be So Stressful?
Someday, I Would Have To Choose
What Had I Done
It Had To Be There
Ash
The Essence Of The Shield
No Other Sign
Magic
The Hall Of Doorways
Plugged In
A Bright And Burning Fire
Aldeen
Until We Know
Everything's Just Peachy
That Smile
Fallen Angel
Just Like Her
The Hardest Thing
Deahlosi Tyanuk
I Really Need To Talk To You
I'm The One
Perfect For Each Other
Sooner Or Later
Running Out Of Time
Who Can Tell The Difference?
Was It You?
I Could Taste Her Bitterness
Away From This Town
Free Fall
Fugitives
Extreme Measures
Losing You Forever
H
old Her Down
Black Smoke
Someone You Recognize?
This Is The Way Of The Order Of Shadows
Too Late
I Can't Tell You How Disappointed I Am
A New Focus
The High Council's Decision In This Matter
I Owe My Mother That Much
Betrayal
Waited For The End
Is This Heaven?
