I shouted out in anguish.
Mona and my siblings would be waiting for me and Anna by now at the port.
Efren appeared in the room again, and this time, Rhys was with him.
Rhys stared down at me, his eyes wide with shock.
“Novalic?”
“I found him in here, Rhys. I caught him snooping around. I’m not sure what he was here for exactly. Anyway, when he saw he’d been caught down here he made a run for it, but I managed to stop him before he made it out the exit. Now, I trust you’ll do what’s needed.”
Rhys reached down and gripped my neck. He squeezed hard, choking me.
He stamped down on my limp knee, crushing it with his heavy boot into the ground.
“I’ll take it from here,” Rhys said.
“Of course,” Efren said, not even bothering to hide the way he was leering at me. He vanished.
“It’s a shame,” Rhys said softly. “I never did come to know you that much, but I thought you would be like your siblings. Clearly I was wrong. You have let them down.”
Letting go of me, he walked over to a cauldron in the corner of the room. He started pulling bottles off the shelves and tipping ingredients into the cauldron. He lit a fire with a spark from his palms.
“Out of respect for the loyalty of your siblings if nothing else, I’ll make this quick.”
Make what quick?
I watched as he stirred the ingredients.
“You must understand that we need to maintain the integrity of this place. It’s sacred space. Therefore, I must present you as a sacrifice to our Ancients.”
He crouched down next to the cauldron and, drawing a syringe from his pocket, drew some of the potion into it. Then he crossed the room and dug the needle into my neck.
As the potion entered my bloodstream, it felt like my skin was on fire. It itched unbearably, as though there were a thousand centipedes crawling beneath my skin.
“This will help to cleanse your system. And make you more flammable once we’ve removed your heart,” he said casually, walking back over to the counter and putting away some of the ingredients.
Once he was done, he picked up a wooden stake resting against the wall in the corner of the room.
Raising it over his shoulder, he walked over at me and aimed it directly at my heart.
“Again, Novalic, this is all for a greater cause.”
He brought the stake slamming down toward my chest.
I closed my eyes, expecting to feel it piercing through my flesh. Instead after a few seconds I realized that its tip hadn’t even grazed my skin.
I looked up, perplexed. Rhys appeared to be just as shocked as me to see the stake frozen in mid-air, a few centimeters away from me.
“Step away, Rhys.”
Rhys stumbled back.
Mona stood across the room, her eyes burning with anger.
Chapter 33: Mona
I’d waited for half an hour down by the port. When Kiev still didn’t show up, panic had gripped me.
I’d rushed up to his room and found Anna still trapped behind the cupboard in a distressed condition. I’d transported her back down to the boat, entrusting Helina and Erik to look after her.
And then, remembering Efren coming and knocking on the door, a frightening suspicion had arisen within me. I’d headed straight to the underground spell room.
Nothing could have prepared me for what I’d seen when I’d entered.
After I’d halted the stake, all the blood drained from Rhys’ face as he stared at me in shock. Although it hurt me just as much as him, I couldn’t remain a coward any longer.
Holding out my palms, I sent him flying back. He crashed against the wall, his head smashing against glass bottles as several shelves came unhinged.
He didn’t even try to get to his feet. He just sat on the floor, his back against the wall as he stared up at me. His breathing was shallow, his lips parted in disbelief.
I’d hoped that the day would never come when I’d have to go against Rhys face to face. I’d hoped I could just sneak away into the night and never have to witness the expression on his face that I saw now.
My powers weren’t needed to win this battle. I’d already sliced through his heart with my lies and betrayal.
Even as I approached Kiev and restored mobility to his body, Rhys didn’t budge. Although blood trickled down from his head, where glass had cut him, there wasn’t even the slightest flicker of vengeance or anger behind his eyes.
Just hurt. Defeat. Confusion.
Emotions that had come years too late.
Emotions that killed me.
Tears spilled down my cheeks as I helped Kiev up the ladder toward the trapdoor.
“Goodbye, Rhys,” I whispered, shutting my eyes tight as my voice cracked. The only comfort I could cling to was to hope that one day, somehow, he would break free from his self-inflicted chains.
But I’d hung around for too long to be willing to wait for him any longer. I just hoped that if he did break free, he’d find another person who could fulfill him the way Kiev fulfilled me.
Sobs wracking my body, I locked eyes with my best friend for the last time before we disappeared into the night.
Chapter 34: Kiev
We reappeared outside the port to find Anna and my two siblings waiting for us. My eyes fell on Anna. She looked in a terrible state as she moaned with pain. Although my legs were still unsteady, I scooped her up in my arms and we all boarded the ship.
“We need to hurry,” Mona said, her voice still shaking. “Rhys might have let us go, but once Isolde and the other witches discover what happened, they won’t let us go without a fight.”
Erik and Helina set to work at the front of the ship organizing the sharks. We jolted forward so suddenly, I almost lost my balance with Anna in my arms. I headed toward the lower deck.
“Wait,” Mona called. “I need to break your bond to this island before we exit the boundary.”
Impatiently, I put Anna down and stood before Mona.
“Close your eyes,” she said.
I had no idea what she was doing as she muttered something beneath her breath. She pressed her thumb against the center of my forehead.
“Okay, you’re done.”
I felt no different, but I trusted that she knew what she was doing. She hurried over to my siblings to do the same to them.
I picked up Anna again and took her beneath the deck. I ran along the narrow passageways. Looking in each of the cabins, I finally stopped outside one that contained a particularly large bed. I laid Anna on top of it.
“All right,” I said. “Just wait—”
My sister’s scream filled my ears.
Leaving Anna on the mattress, I raced back upstairs. My jaw dropped on seeing Rhys standing in the center of the deck, gripping Helina by the neck. Mona and Erik stood a few feet away, trying to reason with the warlock.
“No!” I roared.
I saw red and launched myself at Rhys. As he held up a palm, the breath was knocked out of me and I crashed back ten feet, landing on the wooden floor.
Incensed, I sprang back to my feet. “Why don’t you fight me like a man?”
Hatred burned in his eyes as they fixed on mine. Slowly, he loosened his grip on Helina’s neck, and she sank to the floor, choking.
“Rhys!” Mona gripped hold of his arm and tugged him back.
“Get your hands off me, traitor,” he spat, brushing her away. “Did you really think that I’d just sit back and let you all escape?”
He continued walking toward me and stopped a few feet away.
“Fight you like a man?” he said softly, removing his cloak and throwing it to the floor. “Nothing would give me greater pleasure.”
Chapter 35: Mona
I stared in horror as Rhys approached Kiev.
“No!” I shouted.
Kiev was still injured. His legs were still unsteady.
“It’s all right,” Rhys said. “I promise to n
ot use any magic.”
He reached for his belt and pulled out his long silver dagger. At first I thought he was going to attack Kiev with it, but he dropped it to the ground. Instead, he stretched out his empty palm and manifested a small wooden stake.
“This wood against your claws,” he said to Kiev. “I’d say this is man to man.”
As I reached out my palms, about to curse Rhys, Kiev held up his hand and shouted, “No, Mona. Stop. I’ll fight him.”
“Kiev, no! You’re not strong enough yet.”
He ignored me and stared back at Rhys, the two men now only a few feet apart.
I watched with bated breath as the two men began to circle each other. Kiev extended his claws and bared his fangs.
Helina and Erik hurried next to me as we all watched with knotted stomachs.
Rhys made the first move in this deadly dance. He flew toward Kiev, gripping his midriff and sending them both crashing to the floor. Raising the stake in the air, he directed it at the vampire’s chest.
Gripping Rhys’ arms, Kiev dug his claws into his flesh until blood leaked through the warlock’s shirt. Rhys grunted and sprang off him. The two men stood opposite each other again, breathing heavily as they calculated their next moves.
Kiev lashed out, attempting to knock the stake from Rhys’ hands. But the warlock dodged him. Rhys caught hold of a rope that dangled from one of the masts and swung himself up onto the edge of the ship. From this vantage point, he stared down at Kiev. The vampire jumped up after him—both of them now balancing on the wooden railing. The two men didn’t break eye contact for a second.
I gasped as Rhys launched all his weight at Kiev, causing them both to fall overboard. Erik, Helina and I ran to the edge. I scanned the waters. The two monsters resurfaced and began clashing in the waves.
“The sharks!” Helina gasped, pointing toward a dozen black fins protruding from the water.
Erik swore. We all raced to the front of the ship, attempting to rein them in. But the two men were so close to the ship, it was impossible. I climbed onto the wooden railing, staring at the sharks. I would have blasted them all out of the water, but the sharks were now circling so close to the two men, I might hit Kiev in the process.
And then it was too late. Kiev groaned. Blood stained the water. I screamed as Rhys gripped Kiev’s neck and submerged him beneath the waves.
“No!” I shrieked and aimed a curse at Rhys. It missed him and bounced off the water. He glared up at me, and, to my shock, let go of the vampire. But even without Rhys holding him down, the vampire still didn’t emerge. I couldn’t even see the shadow of his form beneath the water any more.
“Kiev!”
Erik ripped off his shirt and dove in after his brother. I was about to dive in too, but Rhys climbed up the edge of the ship. He swung himself back on the deck several feet away from me. His dark hair dripping, he glared at me.
“You want to play with magic now?” he asked, his voice low, eyes glinting dangerously.
It was as if all traces of my best friend had vanished now and in his place was the ruthless monster I was used to.
Although I was dying to help Kiev, the time had come for me to face Rhys once and for all. I trembled as I threw my cloak to he ground. I could wield powers as strong as his now. My problem was I didn’t have nearly as much control over them. I’d only had them for a short while and hadn’t spent enough time honing them.
I held out my palms and aimed my first curse. He dodged it effortlessly. I threw another at him. Again he dodged it with ease. Am I really so predictable?
I recalled now how during trainings Rhys had anticipated my every move. He knows me too well.
He held up his own palms and a searing burst of light shot toward me. I put up a forcefield around myself just in time to avoid it.
“I taught you well,” he muttered, leering at me.
I had to relinquish the forcefield as I sent another curse hurtling his way, but once again he ducked.
He raised his palms again and this time, a stream of thundering curses flew from them. I quickly put the shield up around me again, sweat dripping from my forehead from the force of his attack.
Don’t break, Mona. You’re stronger than this.
A scream pierced the air.
Helina lay on the deck about fifteen feet away from me, gripping her chest as her eyes rolled in their sockets.
No!
Panic gripped me. One of Rhys’ spells must have bounced off my shield and hit her.
I vanished and reappeared next to where Helina lay. Although she needed urgent attention, I couldn’t take my eyes off of Rhys as he began walking toward me.
Impatience was starting to show in his face now.
He’s had enough play. Now, he just wants to finish the job.
Although Helina shook at my feet, I fixed all my mental power on Rhys once again. Pushing Helina out of the way, I raced toward the opposite end of the boat as far away from her as possible. Rhys followed slowly, clenching his hands as he walked. He leapt up onto the edge of the ship and stared down at me.
This is it now. I have to end him.
I recalled what Rhys had told me during training: in order to gain full control of my powers, I had to be free of emotion. Something that was impossible to do when I had no idea what state Kiev was in or whether Erik had even managed to rescue him.
As I stared into Rhys’ pitch-black eyes, all the anger and resentment that I’d felt toward him over the years bubbled up inside me. Everything that I’d ever hated him for came to the surface. Taking advantage of my trust and friendship. Stealing away my innocence. Luring me away from my home. Cursing everyone I ever loved to die. Trapping me in a life that wasn’t my own…
I expected the emotions coursing through me to have an adverse affect on my powers, as Rhys had always said they would. But a burst of renewed strength ignited within me. I was no longer struggling to maintain the forcefield around me.
His prowess seemed less insurmountable.
Whereas previously, I never thought I possessed the concentration to maintain the shield around me while also aiming curses, now I attempted it.
Even Rhys looked shocked as a fiery blast from my right palm singed his shoulder.
Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I willed all the strength I had within me to my fingertips. Once my hands were shaking for release, I let go.
It happened so fast, I could barely believe my eyes.
A raging ball of fire hit him square in the chest.
His eyes widened. His lips parted. His back curved and he lost his balance, falling into the sea.
I ran to the edge and looked down. His head bobbed above the waves, his body motionless.
He floated for several minutes, and when I still sensed no motion in his limbs, I rushed back toward the front of the ship. I wasn’t sure if he was dead, but he was certainly unconscious. And that was good enough for now.
So long, Rhys.
I gasped on seeing Kiev sprawled out on the deck, deep wounds covering his legs and arms. Erik was by his side, trying to feed him his blood.
“Erik,” I said. “Get those sharks moving as fast as you can. We need to get away from here.”
I turned back to face Kiev. The vampire looked up at me with hooded eyes. I fell to the floor and held his head between my hands, my tears falling onto his face as I kissed his salty skin. I ran my hands over his limbs, healing his wounds with my touch.
Although I wanted nothing more than to stay with him, now I had to help Helina.
“Your sister… I have to go.”
“Huh?” Kiev climbed to his feet, following me as I hurried over to where I’d left his sister. When his eyes fell on Helina, still writhing on the floor, he opened his mouth in horror.
He crawled over her and gripped her shoulders. “What happened?” he asked.
Pushing Kiev aside, I sat down on the floor next to his sister and caught her head in my hands, studying her vacant—and now b
loodshot—eyes.
“I’m not sure,” I whispered.
Rhys had been firing so many curses at me, I didn’t know which one could have hit her. Besides, curses often had a different effect on vampires than they did on witches. I worried that I might not be able to figure out an antidote in time.
But I had no time to doubt my abilities. I began muttering one chant after the other, trying everything I could think of that could mitigate the curse that was consuming Helina.
I must have sat there for almost an hour before, to my relief, her breathing slowed and her trembling lessened. Her eyes stopped rolling and after a few minutes she sat up, blinking and looking around.
“Wh-what happened?”
Curses could cause temporary memory loss, especially ones as powerful as Rhys had been throwing. Had I not become a Channeler, there was no way that ordinary magic could have saved her. I’d never thought I’d find myself feeling so grateful to Lilith.
“You’ll remember in a few hours,” I said, placing my palm against Helina’s forehead to check her temperature. “For now, just sit down and don’t do anything strenuous.”
Kiev gripped her arms and helped pull her to her feet. He sat her down in a chair next to where Erik was navigating the ship. I looked down at the waves rushing past us. It seemed that the sharks had gained renewed strength from Kiev’s blood.
I looked behind us, my eyes fixed on the spot where the invisible island was. Where we’d left Rhys floating in the waves.
Finally, I am free.
Chapter 36: Kiev
As soon as Mona had healed my sister, all I could think about was Anna. I rushed back down to the lower deck, dreading what sight might be awaiting me in her cabin.
“Kiev,” she gasped, looking up at me as soon as I entered, her forehead covered with beads of sweat. “I think my water broke.”
I swore as I realized she was right.
I ran into the cabin next door and ripped the sheets off the bed and also grabbed any other fabrics I could find—towels, curtains, anything absorbent.
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