“That’s not entirely true,” Tiki said, but he didn’t step forward. He seemed hesitant, as though waiting to be scolded.
“What do you mean, Tiki?” I asked.
“You may have forgotten what I told you before we went after Ithreal’s dagger. If given the chance, the Visceratti can compel their victims. They can make them do anything they want.”
The lecture Tiki had given us seemed like it had happened moments ago.
“Wh–, what…is it?” Willy asked, stepping back from the squirming serpent.
“It’s a Visceratti,” Tiki said.
“What the hell’s a Visceratti?”
“They are snake women. They can put the most horrible thoughts into your mind, and as you’ve seen, make themselves invisible. They force their prey to turn on one another and when there are only a few left, the entire nest swarms and eviscerates them.”
“Charming,” Vincent stated.
“That’s not the worst of it. If they get inside your head, you become their puppet. They gain full control over you and your magic.”
“They can take full control of your magic,” I whispered.
“Yes, Chase Williams. If they capture Rayna, it does not matter whether or not she wants to help. If it is her magic that raises Ithreal’s essence, they will use it.”
“So let me ask this one more time,” I said. “Why exactly did you guys come back?”
Nobody was given time to respond. The entire building shook and the windows rattled in their frames. Everyone braced themselves against whatever they could find, and chunks of stone fell from the ceiling.
“Rayna, get over here!” I yelled, using the wall for support. After what Tiki had said, she couldn’t be close enough.
Rayna turned to me but stumbled, falling to the ground. The cracks that had formed along the wall began to spread, weaving along the smooth concrete and tearing it apart. Bits of mortar and blocks of cement fell out of the wall, smashing on the ground in clouds of dust.
The floor spiderwebbed and dust vibrated along the floor before it shattered. Three holes broke in the ground and bits of rock shot across the room. I turned my back and shielded my face as shards of stone smashed into me. When the rocky assault ended, I ran for Rayna and three Visceratti slithered out of the holes. Everyone attacked at once, claws tearing into the air. The room hadn’t stopped shaking, making it difficult to move, and three more Visceratti slid from the holes.
My elements were charged and I fired them from both hands. Streaks of red flame crackled through the air, burning the closest snake-demon to ash. Half a dozen wolves pooled into the room, lunging toward the Visceratti and tackling them to the ground. There was hardly enough space to move and as I unleashed my element on the next demon, a thick grey tail slammed into my stomach. I hit the wall, and although it slowed me down, it didn’t stop me. The wall broke and a shock of pain ricocheted through me. Rocks and dust blew past me and cold air slashed my skin. When I hit the ground, I rolled end over end across the unpaved parking lot, rocks and gravel digging into me. I rolled to my feet, but I wasn’t alone. A dozen snake-women sat outside the warehouse and they slithered toward me.
As the first lunged, I threw her back with a blast of air magic. I moved to take on another but there were too many. The other eleven swarmed me all at once, dozens of claws tearing into my body. Blood ran across my skin, pain seared my back, and I screamed in pain.
Electricity crackled on the air and snapped between my fingers. Their claws caused sharp pains to rocket through me, and without holding back, I let the element go. Blinding arcs flashed, and with it came a thunderous roar that snapped against my eardrums. The Visceratti’s screams vanished and a grey mist of ash clouded around me.
The few remaining demons tried to slither away, but massive orange claws tore them from the ground. Rai screeched through the air, tearing the monsters in half and letting the ash decorate the sky.
I was on my feet, the wounds that covered my body already closing. The Visceratti weren’t facing a hunter anymore. I was a demigod and that meant no matter what they did, they couldn’t kill me. Even if they could, my life wasn’t important. Not in the grand scheme of things. Right now I needed to save Rayna.
In a blur, I jumped back through the hole my body had made and landed in the warehouse ready to fight, but the battle was over. Pairs of shifters carried away their injured. Tiki and Vincent were unconscious, but alive, and Jax and Chief stood in the corner. They were cut and bruised, but otherwise seemed to be in good health. I didn’t need to sift through all the faces that filled the room to know. The looks in their eyes told me everything. The Visceratti had won this round. The book and Rayna were gone.
Chapter 32
Vincent left to gather his family while Chief and Jax organized the Shifters. More had come in during the past few hours, and I hadn’t realized how many there were until I stepped outside. The two leaders had managed to bring hundreds of shifters to our aid, and they all seemed eager to fight.
After using my elements on Marcus, I expected him to be full of energy, but he was exhausted. Riley’s magic had been tearing him apart for days, and it would take more than my magic to get him back on his feet. We had less than twenty-four hours and he needed to be rested. I’d told him everything I could, but we were all running short on time and energy.
Once Marcus was settled, I went to my room to try and rest, but I knew the chance of sleep reaching me was slim to none. How could I sleep at a time like this? I kept picturing Rayna’s face and the Visceratti Queen slithering behind her, moving her left and right like a puppet on strings. This was a replay of what had happened to Willy. If Rayna would have stayed away, the Visceratti might not have found her.
Anger bubbled inside my soul. Fire burned me from the inside out, causing me to wince, but the pain only forced me to change my perspective. I couldn’t think like this. Rayna did the same thing I would’ve done—come back to help. I couldn’t be angry with her about that. Deep down I knew the anger had only come to mask the fear. Fear that I would lose her just like I had Willy.
Nightmares drifted behind my eyelids like a horror movie on display. It didn’t matter where I turned, the nightmares played right in front of me: my mother’s death, then Willy’s, and finally Rayna’s. I hadn’t been strong enough or fast enough to save them. Maybe I wasn’t meant to, but I was strong enough to save Rayna. I had to be. The gods had entrusted me with this power. They wouldn’t have done that if they didn’t believe I could win. They wouldn’t have created the Protector if it were only the summoner who could finish this. I had to believe that.
I rummaged through my memories—both old and new—searching for something that could lift the cloud of darkness that clung to my mind. The nightmares began to settle when I had a memory of Rayna standing in the kitchen of the condo. Tiki was on the far side displaying his new choice of clothing. We had taken him shopping and he posed for us in a tight leopard print shirt. Rayna had been furious with his choice and I had laughed, which had only earned me a glare.
The memory forced a half-smile to crack between my lips. I played that moment over and over again until it had done all that it could. As I moved on, searching deeper for new memories, a fuzzy feeling washed over my skin. I felt the hand inside me reaching toward a power I didn’t recognize. I needed the distraction so I pushed further, stretching toward the sensation.
Each pulse of energy was a color, but with feeling. I could feel blue. I knew what purple tasted like, and the silky warmth that gold could provide. A rainbow had come alive inside me, wrapping me up and letting me feel everything it represented. I pulled it toward me and let it suck me in. I passed through a flurry of different impressions and emotions, some happy, others sad, and then there was nothing. I felt my soul detach from my body and although it felt entirely different, it reminded me of the astral projecting Chief had taught me, only this time it had been unintentional.
A blanket of darkness surrounded me. All the s
trange feelings I’d had were gone, leaving me with the fading restlessness that had almost consumed me. I walked into the darkness, my feet stepping upon the shadows like my air element had come to life. The trickle of water came, growing louder with each step, and I realized where I was.
The darkness lifted like the lights in a theater slowly being brought to full power. The shadows I walked on turned to luscious grass that folded beneath my feet. Thick forest grew up around me, and the water became a steady rush that masked any sounds the woods might carry. I was in the Fade.
I followed the riverbank, calling out Willy’s name. My feet moved alongside the water, yelling louder with each step. It only took a few moments before he answered and Willy stepped out of the thicket of the forest, not as himself but as his wolf.
Colorless orbs stared up at me from the green backdrop and his fur matched the scenery perfectly. His head canted to the side and the fur changed to a matted gray with patches of red. Willy padded across the forest floor and leapt over the river in an impressive feat. When he hit the ground he had shed the fur, and the patchy-haired face of my friend stared back at me fully clothed.
“Hi,” I said.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Willy said, a nervous glint in his eye. He looked up at the blue skies as grey clouds began to move in.
“I didn’t mean to come…this place just kind of showed up.”
“You’re the Protector now—more than a man but less than a god. You have the ability to travel to the Fade openly.” Willy sighed as the clouds masked the sun and the world around us dimmed. “When you leave here, it will be time, Chase. Time to face him once and for all. Are you ready to kill your father?”
I lowered my gaze and although I didn’t remember sitting, I found my legs crossed and my fingers pulling at the perfect blades of grass in front of me. “He’s not my father, not anymore.”
“But are you ready to kill him?”
“I’m not sure it’s possible. I killed him already, but that only bound Ithreal’s soul pieces to his. Now he’s a demigod like me.”
“Are you sure about that?”
I looked up at Willy whose neutral expression unnerved to me. “I was until you said that.”
Willy shrugged, sitting down in front of me. He pulled some grass from the ground and tossed it into the river. The blades spun on the water, quickly disappearing into ripples that lapped over one another.
“You know how I can kill him…never mind, don’t answer that.”
Willy looked up to the sky and shook his head. “I don’t know for sure, but I hear things. The other souls talk. Some of them are old, Chase, really old. I’m not sure if they’re crazy or smart. It’s hard to say what to believe.”
“Are you allowed to tell me what you’ve heard?”
Willy threw the last few blades of grass into the water and dusted off his hands, bringing his gaze back to me. “The Dark Brothers have the power of two gods inside them, Ithreal and Alaria. Riley has the soul pieces of only Ithreal. And you, Chase, are Serephina’s soul piece, but you also have the power of hundreds of gods inside you. It’s true that they are just pieces, but they’re there nonetheless.”
“Right, which puts us kind of on a level playing field.”
“Maybe not. There’s talk that you have the advantage. That you might have something the others don’t.”
“What’s that?”
The clouds rumbled quietly above and Willy pushed himself to his feet, staring off into the woods. “I can feel them—the gods. They’re here with us. They make up the trees, the water, the air. They’re always watching, always listening.”
“If you can’t tell me, I understand. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“They’re telling me not to—that anything more will be considered a break of their oaths.”
“Then don’t. I’ll figure it out. I’ve already lost you in my life, I won’t lose the memory of you too.”
“I’m sorry, Chase. I hope you understand.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about. You’ve been a great friend.”
Willy half-smiled. “You have the souls inside you, Riley has the souls inside him, but you have something he doesn’t.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You will.” Willy smiled. The clouds rumbled again and Willy shuddered. “You better get going before it’s too late. Besides, I’ve got a lot of things to do.” He smirked and as I blinked, he was gone, the back end of a wolf diving into the brush. Green leaves burst into the air and before they hit the ground, the Fade was gone.
I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts running rampant in every direction. I reached out to the new memories that roamed in my mind, asking questions and praying the answers would come back to me. I’d lost track of time when the answer I needed came. It hit me hard and I didn’t waste another moment. I ran down that hall toward Marcus’s room and as I burst through the door, he sat up in his cot. I’d healed his wounds, but the bags under his eyes showed just how exhausted he truly was. This journey had taken its toll on everyone.
“Chase, what’s the matter?” he asked, jumping to his feet.
“The Claw!” I said, hardly able to contain myself.
“What about it?”
“That’s how we’re going to stop all this. That’s how we’re going to win.”
The confusion on his face was clear and I explained to him that Riley and I were evenly matched. We both had the power of gods inside us, but we had something else too—a weapon of the gods. The Claw wasn’t just a soul piece, it was a part of Nathaniel when he lived in Silas. A weapon used by the god himself.
Marcus wasn’t entirely convinced, but he agreed that we had run out of options. The problem was that Rayna’s power kept the Claw hidden and protected. Without her, we didn’t have a summoner to release it. That left us with only one option—Riddley Peterson.
Chapter 33
Riddley had left with Marcus a week earlier. They’d gone to approach the Circle in the Southwest. They were the biggest of all the Circles and if they could convince them, the other Circles would follow suit. Their objective wasn’t going well until Riley and the Dark Brothers showed up, leaving a wake of damage in their successful attempt to kidnap Marcus. Which left us questioning the fate of the one person we knew could help.
Marcus tried for an hour to get a hold of Riddley, finally giving up and calling the Circle directly. The look on his face told me before he could. Riddley Peterson was dead. Marcus closed the phone and set it on the table. His eyes had fallen to the floor and he shook his head. All the hope and excitement that had built up inside me had been vanquished. That was it. That was our opportunity. Our leverage in this fight was gone even quicker than it had come. The only good news Marcus had was that what the Circle had seen had been enough. Any able hunters they had were already on their way, with the exception of the elders of course. Gods forbid they get up and fight for anything. I jumped as the door burst open, and the smell told me who it was before I looked.
“I leave for a few days and you two manage to destroy the whole damn place! Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Grams voice was dry, smoke pooling from her lips. “At least these two mutts got something done while I was gone. A good lot of critters out there now.”
“Mutts?” Jax said.
“Shut it,” Grams snapped, blowing a stream of smoke toward him.
“A lot has happened since you’ve been away,” Marcus said.
“No shit, smart-ass. The back of the building is gone, the front doors are nonexistent, and the walls look like they’re about to collapse. If it wasn’t for my good-natured loyalty to you asshats, I wouldn’t set foot in here.”
Marcus sighed, rubbing his temples. “Were you successful?”
“Of course I was! Every witch I’ve ever known on this side of the world will be here by morning.”
“Good.”
“What the hell’s the matter with you guys? We’ve got an army of Underworl
ders out there and more on the way, I’d call that a small victory. There’s just no pleasing you two brooding babies, is there?” She took a long haul off her cigarette and flicked the butt across the room. “Where’s the kitty? She’s always good to break the moody tension you two bring to the table.” Silence followed and Grams rolled her eyes. “What happened now?”
We filled Grams in on the situation and added what we’d learned about the Claw. Or at least what we hoped we’d learned. It didn’t matter now though, Riddley was gone and so was any hope of Rayna knowing she needed to release the spirit. Once Grams heard what we had to say, she understood immediately why we weren’t in the best of spirits. She was a powerful witch and even she couldn’t help with this.
“Well, there’s got to be another way!” she growled. “We can’t just be shit outta luck because some hunter didn’t make it.”
“There isn’t. Unless you can magically find Rayna and tell her to release the spirit guarding the Claw, we’re screwed,” I said.
“Unfortunately, Riddley is the only hunter I know powerful enough to communicate telepathically over long distances.” Marcus’s voice was solemn.
“Grams might not be able to do anything,” Chief said. “But there might be something you can do, Chase. You can enter her dreamscape.”
“Invade her mind? I’m not sure I’m qualified for that.”
“Perhaps not, but it may be our only option. I am not powerful enough to do such a thing without being in close proximity, but you are a demigod. If the Brothers are strong enough to do it, so are you. And I can be here the entire time, guiding you.”
Everyone’s eyes were on me, and unease seeped into my body.
“It’s as good an option as any right now,” Marcus said.
“Come on now, boy,” Grams said. “Stop pussyfooting around. You know you’re going to do it. Just say yes and get it over with.”
******
We’d cleared everyone out of the room. If I was going to do this, I needed to be completely focused. Chief and I had created an open space in the middle of the floor, and we sat across from one another. My eyes were closed and I listened to all of his instructions. I knew how to astral project on a basic level, but putting myself into someone else’s mind was a completely different experience, and a dangerous one too.
Endure Page 31
