Chapter Thirty-Five
Joel fell face-forward with Lou standing behind him with utter pleasure on his scaly face. He had broken Joel’s body with his bare hands.
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t believe it.
Tracey, not thinking, went shrieking and running from me over to Joel’s side. I came out of it and tried to call out to her to run away, but no voice would reach her now, save Joel’s. She knelt down beside him, hands aloft, unsure if she could be gentle enough to touch a broken body. She gently turned him and cradled his head on her lap. Tears poured down her face onto his. Her poor heart was shattered. She began chanting softly onto his parted lips and rocked slowly back and forth.
It was breathtaking and terrible all at once.
She hadn’t realized that Lou was an arm’s length away from her.
“Lou! Leave her alone!” I yelled. Complete fear brought me back to the present.
Lou picked her up by her hair and brought her face to his. She was frozen with terror. With one long, jagged nail, he tore a bloody line down her soft cheek. I remembered Laura’s nasty scar on her face caused by the same hand. Tracey looked at him in horror as her shock over Joel wore off with the pain and adrenaline she was experiencing. She couldn’t move a muscle under his grasp, she was like a trapped bird.
He looked at me then to relish in my helplessness and devastation.
I looked into Tracey’s eyes, much like a scared bunny.
I remembered her words she’d said to me in this exact same spot only days before. I think I would end my own life before I let that happen to someone I love.
I had already failed to prevent Lou from hurting four family members now. This had to end now.
Now you’ve gone way too far. I let the fear and exhaustion roll up into anger. I let the anger grow into a swell of justice seeking power. I let the light in with the dark. I made the decision. I let this all rise up inside of me and thrash out of my throat. I screamed ear piercingly into the night from the birth of my brokenhearted rage.
Roomie!
The winds heard my call and roared up from all four corners of the earth and swirled around me. The chaos of their stirrings, the violence of the atmosphere, knocked terra-cotta pots off the potting benches and rocked the trees as it sped its way to do my bidding. It pushed past stone sculptures, destroying everything in its path as its energy grew. I let it gather around me as it begged and coaxed me to be released unto its mark. I was holding onto it as long as I could to harvest as much power in it as I could contain, biding my time to be sure everyone I loved was out of the midst of my fury. In my periphery I knew everyone was backing up to a safer distance, having sensed the build, their hair and clothes whipping furiously this way and that. Everyone could sense it except Tracey, who was still locked inside of Lou’s deathly grasp.
Lou looked around at the change in weather and then smiled at me. “Oh, more wind? That’s all?” He laughed. “Bring it,” he said.
I willed Tracey to give me her eyes. She slowly turned her head—just enough so that we locked eyes.
You have to run, Tracey. You have to pull out of this.
She nodded so slightly that I barely registered it.
I blinked at her scarab-embroidered sheath that held her fixed blade at the top of her boot.
She understood. With Lou’s attention still on me, she pulled her blade out, sending a cascade of silver sparks across the two of them, and cut Lou’s chest so deeply that she created a serious wound that spattered black blood everywhere.
He turned back to her, releasing her as he howled in pain. Immediately his expression turned to one of supreme anger. He would kill her now just for spite.
I was wrong. Lou was writhing in pain now that his body had been injured by simple metals. He had released Tracey and forgotten about her. She had recovered quickly, already on the move to safety.
A phantom wind began to spin eddies from the ground to a height above our heads as we all heard the far-off cry and moan that seemed to be coming closer. Roomie was gathering forces and letting us know he too was also at the ready. He got behind me and helped me call on the spirits that homed themselves on the winds.
Now it was our time.
When I felt Roomie and all of the spirits were ready, I bent down low onto one knee and raised my infuriated gaze to Lou. “You ready for this, you rotten demon?”
In one fell swoop of my arms and a hard testament of my will, I had the full power of the winds and the next world run through me and rush at Lou.
It was like a hurricane that had a leash tied to me.
The energy was ten times as strong as it had been on the miserable day in the park. Lou was stunned by its sheer force, knocked on his ass as he fumbled and struggled to regain his balance, being pushed back further and further. I kept hammering him with intense winds while wrapping him in an invisible shroud of the shrieking, unrested spirits to contain him in a chaotic blast. The hurricane sucked him up and spit him out several times. He was injured and choking.
It was working
He couldn’t breathe.
All that air, and he couldn’t take a breath.
I could see the panic in his eyes now as his arms thrashed about and his clothes billowed up, much like he was falling from the sky at a terrific speed. I would have been lying if I said some part of me didn’t immensely enjoy this. I could feel everyone slowly come around to get a better look. Dare we have hope? Duke and Theo rushed around me and grabbed Joel’s broken body to bring him to Hayden in the house. I prayed Hayden could help, but it seemed a fatal wish. Tracey followed suit, not letting go of one of Joel’s lifeless hands.
I was mesmerized by the spirits surrounding him, attacking him with their wills and suffering. He was in complete turmoil as they folded themselves around him, concealing him in a cocoon of afterlife. I had no idea what would become of them, how to send them away after, or how to thank them for their help. I racked my brain, remembering Laura and how easy it had been for her to call on them and then, after their assistance, send them away to wherever they had come from.
It was one subject we never had gotten to elaborate on during our time together.
I stepped closer to the whirlwind, hearing Lou grunt in exertion to get out of this mess. The spirits’ screams grew louder as they tormented him with their pain and anguish. I called upon the rocks and boulders again. Stones from the sculptures all came rolling over and crumbling down. The material began to build a wall around him, locking Lou inside of the makeshift tomb with the ghosts of thousands. I caught his eyes for a moment; they were wild and scared.
Duke and Theo returned to my side. They had buckets of mortar that was no ordinary mortar. It was plainly visible it was enchanted. It glowed a shade of green, with gold bubbles forming on the top of it. Theo smiled brightly at me. It was genius and quick thinking.
The two worked at a lightning pace, slathering heaping gobs of the mortar throughout the cracks and spaces. All the while, the screams of the ghosts and Lou’s torment grew muffled.
I began to grow tired and cut off the winds as the tomb was being enclosed. I let my arms down and took a few breaths. Theo was now on top of the mound, slopping on the last of the seal. Duke came over to me, sweating profusely, to stand back and admire the work.
It was perfect. It was solid and enchanted, meant to entrap Lou. We would drop it at the bottom of the ocean or bury it so deep he would never crawl out.
Duke was satisfied. He mimicked a high five to Theo in the air.
Maybe this was it!
Maybe we had changed the prophecy, and maybe I could make it out of this with my life. I chastised myself to not count my chickens yet.
As Theo returned the high five, the rocks began to shift. The entire mound began to vibrate. Duke and I searched the bottom of the mound for any signs of breakage and could find none. But yet it moved, the force within it stronger now. We looked up to Theo with fearful eyes. His face was drawn, and he gulped, knowing this
was not good.
It wouldn’t hold.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Lou exploded out of the tomb with unbelievable force. Roomie and his posse of spirits flew straight for the heavens, leaving Lou behind as he knelt on one knee, head down, catching his breath. What had happened in there?
My heart sank. This had become exhausting.
Theo went flying, and as far as I could tell, was hanging up in the trees.
Duke, seeing his best friend’s demise, went charging after Lou with a mighty sledgehammer held over his head. He yelled as he ran like a viking into a raid straight into Lou. I tried to support him by hitting Lou on the side with whatever I could conjure up to throw at him, but I was unprepared. I put the wind at Duke’s back to push him forward faster.
Lou was able to yank that hammer out of his hands with magic. Duke stopped and looked about, completely dumbfounded. Then his eyes slowly rolled over to Lou with a distasteful knowing.
“Duke! Run!” I screamed.
Duke looked back at me with sad eyes. “I’m sorry, Nicky, but I can’t ever run away from helping my family.”
My throat caught as Duke turned back to face Lou, who was smiling. Lou held the hammer high over his head and went to bring it down on Duke.
I threw my magic at Lou to hold the hammer back. He arms were stuck midair as he fought to move it.
Duke lunged at him and got him to the ground. I kept Lou’s arms locked but began sending a heat wave to the precious nickel-plated head. My arms were glowing brightly, and sparks cascaded off of my fingertips.
Duke sat on Lou’s chest and sent punch after punch to Lou’s face, which really wasn’t fazing him too much, but was still aggravating and debilitating.
Lou’s eyes went wide when he noticed that the heat I was sending was actually melting the nickel and was now forming a thick silver pool on the ground above his head.
Lou panicked as the liquefying metal inched closer to his head. He was able to let go of the melting hammer, and he threw Duke off of him in a burst of strength. Duke narrowly missed crashing into me. I ducked and rolled to get out of the line of fire.
Lou followed Duke to where he lay. Duke sat up slowly, shaking his head.
I ran to intercept, but Lou grabbed me and threw me back. When Lou reached Duke, he punched him. Hard.
Duke fell back, unconscious.
Lou was taking a minute now, breathing hard and trying to recuperate from the assault. His chest looked severe from the wound of Tracey’s blade; he was getting pretty beat up, but nothing was stopping him.
I felt so discouraged. I kept thinking with each new move that this was it—we had him. Every time, he hurt someone I loved. I felt like we were not winning.
We were losing this.
I felt like I was holding onto the ledge of a skyscraper with Lou trying to step on my fingers to make me let go and plunge to my death. Could we ever end this?
I could not let go. I could not give up. That was not an option. I had to do something else—something stronger.
I had to gather the storm now.
I could already feel the vigour wilting and withering away from me. No please, just a little bit longer—stay strong.
Thunder cracked in the heavens, loud and tremendous. Rain began to pour steadily, gradually picking up energy and coming harder.
Lou stopped struggling in his recuperation. He seemed to grow calm, almost patient, as he watched me through the storm.
He looked at me like—
—like he was wondering if it was me who brought the storm.
To my regret, I now knew that what we had planned and thrown at him already would not be enough. My determination was shattering with this knowledge.
I could not do this on my own.
Slowly he was getting up and stepping toward me. He gave me a flash of teeth in his sick grin. He knew it wouldn’t be long before I ran out of strength. I had to use the lightning. I had to destroy him. But then it sank in my heart for certain.
He would kill everyone I loved.
I would end my own life before I let that happen to someone I loved.
He was getting closer to me.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Tracey came running out once more. Sparks and neon-lit strings laced with powers were flying forth from her and hitting Lou. He stopped his trek toward me and stood facing her, trying to block the spells she was throwing in his face. Some met their marks, leaving small lashes on his cheeks and neck.
Tracey kept coming. Her cheek was still bleeding, and her hair was blown back as she raced forward. Her eyes had the most extreme hatred that I had ever seen radiating from them.
For her to leave Joel in the state he was in told me he most likely hadn’t survived.
The world slowed down then, just like it had when the three witches and I were escaping the guards at Shadow Hills. Everything moved at such a slow pace that I could see the individual raindrops. I could almost grab the strands of magic midair as they slowly made their way to Lou.
Tracey—
She looked at me quizzically.
No—
She straightened her mouth into a hard line. Nicole, this is what I meant when I said I would end my life before I would let anything happen to someone I love, she answered me telepathically. I’m not going to let him hurt you again.
So that’s what she’d meant.
I smiled. Of course that was what she’d meant. Not challenging me to kill myself and end this war for everyone—she wanted to stick up for me and stop Lou so he could never hurt me again. After the way I had behaved for all that time—
Tracey, I love you for it, but no. I can’t let you do this.
Her face grew angry. Well, Nicole, you don’t have this choice. It is mine to make.
Oh, my dear friend; yes, I do. I wrapped Tracey up in magic. She could no longer run forward. Her spells were gently extinguished as I led her back to the house. She fought back at first, her eyes hurt that she was helpless to break free. I blew on the breeze, which brought a mist to her eyes, closing them and placing her in a dreamless sleep. To rest and not rage. I couldn’t and wouldn’t let her do this. I had to answer for what I had done; I had to end the battle I had called forth so long ago. I would not let Tracey give her own life for what I had to finish.
I had to follow my birthright.
I had to become the Lightning Witch.
Lou looked at me smugly. He laughed, full bellied, throwing his head back.
Once Tracey was safe inside the house, time returned to its normal pace.
“All right, Nic. You never did like an audience. I will be quick, I promise.” He started toward me again.
I knelt down and closed my eyes and concentrated. I had to destroy him, and I would die doing it. That was okay. As long as he wouldn’t get my family. The storm gathered around me; I could feel the electricity rising in the air.
I opened my eyes, and I raised a hand and pushed him back. I held him suspended above the ground. His face was one of disbelief.
I closed my eyes, holding on for dear life, utilizing everything I had in me to keep him there.
He began to whip himself around like an alligator doing a death roll. I struggled to maintain his position.
Then he hit me in the face with an outstretched claw.
I went flying back, rolling onto my stomach.
The world was stars and colours.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
I was slowly losing power. If I was going to act, it had to be quick. I had to get up.
My mind began to drift, and images flashed through my mind’s eye. I thought about the love of my life, Jasper. I thought about the dogs running beside each other in the fields, the fun times with our friends at the beach, and my sweet little shop downtown. I thought about the sky before a storm, the feeling of putting my hot feet in the cool river, Jasper’s face when we made love, and his smile when he looked at me with pride. I hadn’t seen that in so long.
I
tried to hold onto each and every single one of them, but they faded in and out, compiling on top of each other as my heart gave way.
My life would mean something. My family would be safe.
I raised my head and stared at my hands. The moon tattoo on my skin began to glow silver, the rest of me glowing a light red as Fire grew inside of me. I sat up. My hair turned white, preparing to call on the Lightning.
Lou was standing where I’d left him, having fallen from the air.
Lou stood staring at me as I got to my feet. “It’s you, isn’t it?”
I looked up at him, stars sparkling in my eyes, my hands growing warm as the shards of lightning began to form. Thunder booming like cannons overhead. I stood as straight as I could. I looked him dead in the eyes.
I nodded.
He rolled his tongue over his lips.
Was that fear in his eyes? Was it stress?
It was recognition.
It was respect.
He laughed.
Typical.
“All right, Nic—now we know who we are.” He rubbed his hands together. Now he fully turned into his true form. His insides became his exterior. All that hate, anger, selfishness, and evil grew over his skin, and he turned into the beast of children’s nightmares. Of my nightmares. He ripped away the flesh and cords of what had been the Lou I knew.
He lunged at me.
The swords from the skies came crashing from above and projected from my body. I gave him everything I had. He dodged the majority of the lightning and kept coming.
He then flew into the air and crashed into me as I tried to sink the sword into his gut. He beat on me with his claws as I tried to protect myself. My skin grew hot with Fire, and he jumped off of me to escape the burn.
“God, Lou, aren’t you used to the burn of Fire, coming from Hell and all?” I shot at him.
He growled and jumped at me again. I wasn’t ready; the sword fell from my hand and died out in the rain.
My body was steaming from the wet. I tried to gather more energy but was met with sparks that fizzled and died. The thunder sounded far away now.
The Lightning Witch (Elements Book 2) Page 17
