“Go, Logan,” I yelled. “Get Beatrice through!”
Logan grabbed Beatrice’s hand, and they rushed toward the stone.
“No,” Lors screamed, moving to stop them, but my quick blade on his neck gave him pause. He growled then cocked his head backward, smashing it into my face.
The moved dazed me, and I let him go.
“Layla,” Kellimore called.
Lors then stepped back and pulled his own blade from his robes. It was a long, slim, razor-cut weapon. I’d never seen anything like it before.
Lors swung at me. “Do you think you can outmaneuver me, human?”
“I already have once,” I said, my eyes flicking toward his cheek.
“Underestimated you,” he said, swinging at me. “It won’t happen again.”
His moves were fast and fluid. Our swords clanged against one another, and I felt the heavy shake of my blade, the vibration rippling through to my bones. He was vastly stronger than me, and his blade was made out of some strange, dense metal.
“Go, go,” Tristan called to Elle and Kellimore, waving them both toward the stone.
“Not without Layla,” Kellimore said. “She won’t be able to get back alone.”
Lors and I circled one another, steel clattering.
“Go,” I yelled to them. “Tristan, go! Get them out of here.”
There was a strange crackling sound, and when I looked back, I saw they were gone.
“So much for protecting his ward,” Lors said, his blade clanging against mine.
“I’m not his ward,” I said, kicking him hard in the gut, sending him stumbling backward.
The kitsune man caught his breath then lunged once more. He was good, but he over-relied on his height and strength. I moved quickly around him, trying to keep my breath even, my movements precise. Patience. That’s what I always preached to my students. Size the opponent up, then be patient.
“Been awhile?” I asked Lors. “You look tired.” Hoping to get him to talk, to wear himself out, I goaded him.
“Filthy human,” he swore then came at me again.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that the first of his people had arrived. They slipped around the trees and through the brush, shifting into human form. They looked appalled at the sight before them.
“My lord,” one of the females called, but Lors ignored her.
When our blades clattered against one another once more, he pressed his weight against me. He was going to push me under.
“Give up,” I whispered, pushing back against him with all my might. “Give up, and I’ll spare you,” I said.
“You?” he asked with a laugh. “In a minute, I’m going to have your pretty head. I’ll take it as a trophy. You can sit on my table tonight and watch me at supper. And after, I’ll feed your pretty face to the dogs.”
“No,” I said then. “Not today.”
At that, I let go. Ducking low, I pulled my boot dagger out and shoved it hard into his chest, slipping the blade under the ribs toward the heart. His own weight played against him, driving the blade in deep. He toppled over me, onto the ground, then rolled, his hands clutching the dagger.
“You bitch,” he gasped, glaring at me. Then his eyes went dim, and his hands fell away.
I reached down and pulled out my dagger. Stashing it back into my boot, I backed toward the stone then turned and waited.
The kitsune looked at one another in disbelief.
“Don’t just stand there. Kill her,” one of them called.
I waited.
A moment.
A moment more.
They rushed me.
I dipped into my pocket and pulled out two grenades. Activating them in sync, I tossed them into the crowd.
The kitsune paused, shocked expressions on their faces, as they saw what was coming. But it was too late.
As the grenades exploded, I set my hand on the stone and was swept away.
CHAPTER 20: CRICKET
VELLA, ARIEL, AND I SAT ON THE FLOOR of the tower study at the top floor of Witch Wood estate. The tower, which jutted out from the main building, had windows on three sides. Ariel had tucked herself in along the window and was looking out.
“What ya looking at?” I asked her, turning away from Vella who was shuffling her cards.
“I’m watching Darius try to work a plow,” she said with a grin. “I can almost hear him swearing from here.”
“A plow?”
Ariel laughed. “Madame Knightly came in this morning and asked Tom, Will, Chase, and Darius to do some work. They could hardly say no, I guess.”
“She’s trying to keep them busy,” Vella said absently.
Chase had been skittish all morning, annoyed that Vella had told him not to go. And Layla’s people looked like they might go into the maze after her at any minute. “They were worried about Layla,” I said, trying to hide the tremor in my voice. I was worried about Tristan, but no doubt Vella and Ariel knew that already.
Vella raised an eyebrow at me.
“What?” I asked innocently.
She smirked.
“They’ll be back. Everything’s going to be fine. I’m not worried a bit,” I said then looked at Vella. “Okay, Vella. You’ve been playing with those cards all morning. So, is there going to be a cure or what?”
Ariel turned her attention to Vella. Apparently she’d been waiting for an answer as well.
Vella laid down her cards. “Nothing comes easy now.”
“That’s a lot of swords,” Ariel observed.
Vella nodded.
“Can you see anything?” I asked, glancing at the cards. Scene after scene depicted battles. I didn’t need to be a tarot reader to know the future looked dark.
“There is light, but much darkness comes before it.”
“What should we do?” Ariel asked. “We need to find somewhere safe. I don’t care where. Are we safe here?”
Vella frowned then looked at the cards. “Yes and no,” she said then picked up a card I hadn’t seen before.
“What’s that?” I asked. The image depicted a woman seated on a chair wearing blue robes.
“The High Priestess,” she said. “She’s a woman sitting between the worlds, standing between the veil of the known and the unknown, using her intuition and magic as her guide.”
“Madame Knightly?” I asked.
Vella set the card down then lifted, one by one, others she had drawn: The Queen of Swords, which I knew was for Layla, a card with a lion on it titled Strength, and another one with a big wheel on it called The Wheel of Fortune. She set the wheel at the top, and underneath, placed the queen, the lion, and the priestess. She nodded slowly then answered, “No, not Madame Knightly.”
“Then who?” I asked.
“Her,” Ariel answered, pointing out the window.
I followed Ariel’s gaze. Outside, Amelia was walking toward the rose garden, a black cat following alongside her.
CHAPTER 21: AMELIA
I LOOKED UP AT THE LATE AFTERNOON SKY. They’d been gone for hours. Hours. I’d spent the entire day in the kitchen churning out homemade pasta and trying not to think about the fact that Logan and the others were still gone, that Mom had somehow communicated with Layla, and that my magical powers seemed to be growing in some weird way that I didn’t understand.
Zoey had been chatty, too chatty. At some point, I realized she was talking just to talk. I had no idea what she’d been saying. It was just about that point when Madame Knightly entered the kitchen.
“Amelia,” Madame Knightly said. “Why don’t you come with me? And Zoey, won’t you be a dear and take the boys something to drink. Oh my,” she said then, looking at the row upon row of pasta we had hanging on an old clothes rack drying. “Looks wonderful,” she said with a nod then motioned to me.
I smiled at Zoey, pulled off the apron I was wearing, then went outside with Madame Knightly.
“You look worried, Amelia,” Madame Knightly said.
&nb
sp; “Yes. Logan and the others have been gone too long.”
“Oh, not to worry, Tristan is one of our best. He’ll see to them.” With a blink of light, she shifted into the form of Bastet once more and trotted beside me, leading me toward the rose garden.
I shook my head, still trying to get over the sight of it, then followed along. The rose garden had been a tangled mess, but earlier this spring, while the roses were still sleeping, I’d attacked the garden. With Madame Knightly’s guidance, and having read at least a dozen books on roses, I was able to get all the roses trimmed and staked. The vines were now coming back to life. New green leaves grew and small buds were just forming. I’d been excited to see the garden in bloom once more, but now my thoughts were distracted. It was like, at Witch Wood, we’d just been able to turn off the world and go on living. Out of sight, out of mind. The dark world was still there. We’d just been ignoring it.
With Layla’s arrival we’d been reminded that we really weren’t safe, nor were we alone. Didn’t we have some responsibility for helping those who still lived? It was hardly fair for us to go on living behind enchanted walls. Except, enchanted wasn’t exactly the right word for it.
At the center of the rose garden was a large reflecting pool. All around the pool were marble statues, most of which depicted Greek or Roman gods. There were a few, however, I didn’t recognize. When we reached the image of a goddess I assumed to be Demeter, Madame Knightly took form once more.
She smiled at me, smoothed her dress, and then looked me over. She reached out and adjusted a button on my shirt then righted my collar.
“Very well then,” she said and took my hand. “Here we go, Amelia.” She set our hands on the foot of the goddess.
What happened then was unbelievable. I felt like I’d suddenly got caught in a wind turbine. I could feel a rush of air as I was sucked into a tunnel of light, and then, a moment later, I found myself standing in a grassy field. It took me a moment to steady myself.
“Madame Knightly?”
She smiled at me then linked her arm with mine. “Come along,” she said then we walked toward a stream nearby. A man stood looking into the water.
The moment I saw him, I realized he was not human. The light around him glimmered opalescent. He turned and looked at us.
“Madame,” he said, bowing his head. “This is an unexpected visit.”
“Yes. How I do hate the gates. Of course you know Amelia,” she said, turning to me.
“I…I…hi,” I stammered.
The man chuckled. “Amelia, I am Obryn, the leader of my people.”
I dropped the best curtsey I could muster. “Pleased to meet you.”
He smiled.
“I’ve come to ask if you’ve made a decision,” Madame Knightly said, her voice sounding pert and mildly irritated.
Obryn’s expression turned serious. “We must not interfere more. Especially not now.”
“Not now?” Madame Knightly asked.
“Lors has been killed.”
Madame Knightly looked shocked. “How?”
“Layla.”
Madame Knightly nodded. “The unseelie brought it on themselves.”
“Yes,” Obryn agreed. “But we must not be in the middle when it ends.”
“You are right,” Madame Knightly said with a sigh.
Obryn turned to me. “The humans may not live among us, that is true, but I’m not saying that they shouldn’t seek out a place for themselves. Does she have the aptitude you suspected?”
“Yes.”
“Then time is of the essence,” he said then passed Madame Knightly a knowing look.
“As you wish,” she said, then took my hand.
Once more, I felt a strange rush. This time, as we hurled back through the strange in-between space, I smelled death. The scent of decay perfumed the air. The awful scent was so heavy that I could taste it in my mouth. A moment later, we appeared once more in the rose garden.
In the far off distance, I heard a familiar voice.
“Amelia! Amelia? Where’s Amelia?” Logan called. I could hear the panic in his voice.
“Logan?” I turned to Madame Knightly. “They’re back. Something’s wrong.”
She nodded. “I’m all right. Go on ahead.”
I raced across the lawn. My mind reeled with what I had just seen, but beyond that, I saw Tristan and Elle emerge from the maze. Tristan was holding on to Elle. Blood was dripping down her arm.
“What happened?” I called as I ran toward them.
“She was bit by an animal, one of the kitsune,” Logan explained.
“Let’s get her inside,” I said. “It will be okay. We’ll get you cleaned up.”
“One of those people bit me,” Elle exclaimed.
“Don’t worry about her. I got her for you,” Kellimore told Elle.
“Thanks,” Elle said through gritted teeth.
I held her arm gently as we led her inside.
“Where’s Layla?” Kellimore asked.
I cast a glance backward. They were all back…except one.
CHAPTER 22: LAYLA
I GROANED AS I FOUND MYSELF FACE DOWN in the dirt once more. This was getting old. I closed my eyes and listened. In the distance, I heard the call of a mourning dove. Otherwise, it was totally silent. Where were the others?
I sat up to find I was in the woods…somewhere. It was very foggy. I rose, grabbed my sword, and looked around.
Not daring to speak for fear of what might be nearby, I wandered through the fog. It was so dense that I could barely see two feet in front of me. I held my sword at the ready just in case.
Finally, in the far off distance, I heard the clatter of metal.
Moving forward, mindful that there were all manner of creatures out there that wanted me dead, I went slowly. In the looming distance, I was able to make out the shape of a very large building. A barn? I walked slowly toward it, and as I did so, the air around me began to clear.
Yes, it was a barn.
Near the barn was a tall chain-linked fence.
Beyond, as the fog lifted, I saw something quite unbelievable.
Home.
I was home.
I stood staring at my grandmother’s cabin, her barn. I was back in Hamletville.
Sliding the sword into its scabbard, I climbed the fence and dropped onto the property. My SUV was still parked in the driveway. Everything was exactly as I had left it the day we’d gone to the Harpwind.
I looked around for the source of the noise, finding that a piece of scrap metal had blown against the fence and was slapping against the side every time the wind blew.
How had I gotten here? Everyone else must have gone back to Witch Wood. Why had I come home?
I crossed the lawn to the front door, dug the key out of the old silk flower decoration hanging by the door, and then went inside.
Even though it was daytime, the light was dim inside the house. Thin slants of light shone through the windows, catching motes of dust in its rays. How very strange. The whole place was exactly as I left it. All the little decorations Kira and Susan had made covered the walls, crayon artwork depicting rainbows and flowers. The only good thing I’d managed to do so far was keep Kira and Susan alive. It was a promise I’d made to their mother from the start, that I’d keep them safe, and I’d made good on that promise.
I sat down on the couch and pulled out the engagement ring. Blood had smeared across the band. I wiped it off with the edge of my shirt then slid the ring on once more. Then, I let it in. I’d been trying to stay strong, to think straight. I needed to make decisions about our next move, to decide what to do, who to trust. I never let it in.
I had gone back for him, but he was gone. Had the disease taken him? Was he like the other decaying undead now? Or was he elsewhere, lost to the illness that had swept over him? I put my head in my hands and wept hard. How had this happened? He was gone. I felt like someone had reached into my chest and torn my heart in half. Worse, if there w
as a cure, how would I ever even find Jamie? He wasn’t at Claddagh-Basel, at least not that I could discover. I could go back, but the kitsune were watching that place. It wasn’t safe.
At least for now, Witch Wood was secure. We could try to find a way to keep mankind alive. Maybe there was a chance. And if not, if we failed, at least I’d found a safe place for Susan and Kira. After all, with the kitsune still hunting us, there was nowhere else for us to go.
“Pssh,” someone said then.
I looked up to find my grandmother sitting in her favorite chair.
“Grandma?”
“My Layla, your head is a mess,” she said.
“I—”
“And your hair too. Clean up a bit before you head back.”
“I don’t know how to get back.”
“The mists, my girl. The thin places. Focus on where you want to go then walk.”
“That must be how I got here,” I said absently.
“And now you must return. You have work to finish before you can come home.”
“Come home?”
“Of course. It’s nearly time. But first, you must help your friends.”
“This place isn’t safe. The vampires—”
“Yes, the strigoi found their way here. But there are not so many.”
“How many?”
“Eh,” she said then shrugged. “Three haunt Hamletville at night.”
I frowned.
“It’s better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie, isn’t it?” she said with a smile. “Three is nothing for you, my girl.”
“We have other enemies. Others who want us dead.”
She nodded. “The dark leshi. I have seen.”
I shook my head. “The world is too dangerous now. We…we don’t have a place in this world anymore.”
“Then perhaps it’s time to get a new one.”
“A new what?”
“World.”
I sighed heavily and leaned back into the couch, closing my eyes. “Jamie,” I whispered. “I lost him. I can’t find him anywhere. I need to find him. Have you seen…” I began, opening my eyes, but when I looked up, Grandma was gone.
The Torn World: The Harvesting Series Book 5 Page 9
