The Eternal Witch (The Coven: Elemental Magic Book 5)

by Chandelle LaVaun

  Tim shook his head. “These tunnels lead to the interim realm—I forget what they call it—but it’s like a meeting place. The only Seelie Court members who can enter are the prince and princess.”

  “I suspect that is who we’re meeting with, and I suspect they know we’re here by now.” Tennessee moved to stand next to me. He looped his finger through my belt loop and pulled me close. “We need to keep our eyes open and our magic ready.”

  “Will it even work here? Tim just tried and failed.” Larissa scoffed and shot violet lightning at the tunnel walls. It hit the vines and bounced off. Her magic ricocheted like a pinball all around us. “See!”

  We all ducked to avoid getting hit. Every spot her magic hit, the vines glowed a bright neon green. They shimmered and glistened like glitter under a disco ball. The incandescent light intensified until I had to cover my eyes.

  “Tegan?” Tennessee’s voice was warm in my ear. “Tegan, what’s wrong?”

  I tried to look up at him, but the light off the vines was too bright. I hissed like a vampire in sunlight. My eyes burned. My magic rushed to the surface. I felt its tingle in my fingertips. “What is that?”

  “What is what?” Tennessee’s voice was sharp and strong. “Tegan, what do you see?”

  “What do you mean what do I see? That bright green light!” I screamed.

  “Tegan, there’s no light.” Emersyn’s voice was closer than I remembered her being.

  My magic rushed to my hand covering my eyes. Every nerve ending in my body pulsed with power and energy. My senses kicked into overdrive, sucking in every and anything nearby. Each of my Coven-mates’ auras tickled against my own. I knew without looking where each and every one of them were. I felt Emersyn’s aura slide in close a split second before her hand touched mine. My magic was in defense mode. I tried to pull it back in, but the pain in my eyes was too consuming. My magic attacked.

  Emersyn screamed. I felt her aura fly away from me.

  “Catch her!” Henley screamed.

  “Willow, blind Tegan!” Tennessee shouted.

  Everything went dark, and I almost cried with relief. My eyes throbbed.

  “Wait. Here, try these.” Cooper’s aura moved closer. “Bentley said I’d need these.”

  “Let’s try it.” Tennessee grabbed my hands.

  “No, don’t touch me!”

  But he didn’t yank his back. His hands were warm and gentle against mine. “It’s okay. Your magic likes me.”

  Something cold slid against my temples then curved around my ears. The relief was instant. The muscles in my eyes and face relaxed. The pressure released like my body was sighing.

  “Sunglasses?” I asked.

  Tennessee’s hands found mine again. He squeezed them tight. “Now, open.”

  I was helpless to resist him this time. I took a deep breath, then opened my eyes and looked up to where I felt his aura pulsing with power. My heart fluttered and my stomach dropped. That green light was still there, but the sunglasses blocked the pain. Everything was cast in a dark-gray tint, but I was okay with that. Tennessee’s face was still beautiful.

  I blinked and looked around the tunnel for my sister. “Emersyn, are you okay?” I finally spotted her fifteen feet away on the ground next to Timothy.

  She smiled. “Yeah, I like flying. It’s cool. Tim caught me. You okay?”

  I frowned and shook my head. “Are y’all telling me none of you see that green light?”

  “I see it, but it’s really faint,” Tennessee whispered. “But the Aether Witch would be more affected here than the rest of us.”

  “More reason to get moving.” Deacon stood and turned around to face the tunnel opening behind me. “I don’t like the way this place feels.”

  The tunnel trembled and shook. The vines slithered like snakes. The green light flickered.

  “What is that?” Willow scurried into the center of the tunnel. “Tegan, is that you?”

  “Not me.”

  Tennessee pulled me to my feet. “We need to move.”

  Larissa grabbed Willow by the elbow and dragged her forward. The vines wiggled and wrapped around their ankles. They gasped and tried to kick their way free. That green light shimmered under them, and my heart stopped. Oh no.

  “MOVE!” I screamed and dove forward.

  But it was too late. The ground opened up and sucked them under. I slid toward the hole and reached over the edge. Tennessee got there first. We threw our hands into the darkness but found only cold air.

  “NO!” I cried. “No. No, no, no.”

  “Where did they go?” Royce dropped to the edge of the hole. “Guys. Where did they go? What’s down there? GUYS. It’s a black hole? I don’t understand.”

  “No,” Tennessee whispered and hung his head. “No, that’s Earth. That’s a city.”

  I frowned and slid the sunglasses up to my forehead. That was when I saw it. Twinkling golden lights far, far below us sticking out like stars in the blackness. They were city lights. And we had to have been thousands of miles above ground. My stomach turned. I pushed back from the opening and tried to breathe through the hot lump in my throat. Larissa and Willow had fallen… I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to not fall apart. They can’t be gone. They can’t be. They can’t.

  “I can’t feel them,” Paulina whispered in a rush. “I can’t feel them!”

  The ground rumbled again. The vines wiggled and slithered across the opening, like nothing had happened. My eyes widened. I slid the sunglasses back in place and scurried back. A thick vine wrapped around my stomach and pulled me off the ground. I gasped and pushed it only to find it was Tennessee’s arm. He dragged me away from the closing hole.

  “Everybody, MOVE!” he yelled over my head. “Light on your feet!”

  That green light pierced through my sunglasses and stung my eyes. The walls shrieked and moaned like they were alive. My heart raced in my chest. I raised my hand toward Emersyn and Timothy and pulled with my magic. They slid over the vines like leaves on a river, but the vines shot out and connected with the other side of the tunnel. I pulled harder, but those vines spread faster than my magic.

  “EM!” Deacon screamed and dove toward her. He threw his hands between the vines and grabbed her jacket. He cursed and tried to pull her through the vines. “Use your fire!”

  The tunnel walls trembled and shimmered with that glittery green light…and then my sister and Timothy were gone.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  EMERSYN

  “Deacon!” I screamed and clawed at the vines, at where Deacon’s hands had just been. “No!”

  This can’t be happening. No, no, this can’t be real. I had to get back to him, to them. There had to be a way. The vines hadn’t been here a second ago, so I knew there had to be a way to get through. But without Tennessee’s glowing, we were left in the dark. I pressed my palms to the vines then slid them down until my fingers brushed against soft leather. Yes, please, let this work.

  My jacket was stuck in the vine wall, half of it hanging on my side. I tried to claw at the vines around it, but they wouldn’t budge. No! Come on, let me through! My voice was hoarse from yelling and my fingertips were raw. I flicked my wrists, and flames sprung into my palms. But the light only showed me just how screwed we were.

  “Don’t touch the—” Timothy started.

  I slammed my fiery hands against the vines. The tunnel walls trembled. I yanked my hands away and stumbled backward until I crashed into Timothy’s chest. He caught me by the shoulders, his hands ice cold. The vines under my feet shivered.

  “Emersyn, move!” Timothy yelled and shoved me to the side.

  A cold breeze swept over my feet, but I was already airborne, flying through the darkness. My flames vanished. With my vision robbed, I had no time to brace myself for impact. My shoulder slammed into the hard tunnel floor, and pain shot through my body. I screamed through clenched teeth as I slid into the side wall.

  “Move, move, move!” Timothy yanked me
to my feet by my elbows then pulled me into a sprint. “Don’t stop moving!”

  I flicked my wrists and let flames cover my arms so we could see as we ran. But it was just more vines and darkness. My pulse thundered through my veins. My chest burned. Deacon. He couldn’t have been far. He had to be close enough for my glyph to sense him. My legs throbbed and begged for me to stop running.

  There was a loud rumble and then an ear-splitting crack. I gasped and looked over my shoulder. My eyes widened. The ground behind us was covered in solid white ice, but it was crumbling in huge patches.

  Timothy cursed. “Keep moving!”

  I cursed and pushed my legs to move faster. My thighs burned. My feet throbbed with every step. The ground shivered under me. “Jump!”

  We leapt at the same time, just as a massive black hole opened up beneath us. Timothy shot ice from his hands, filling in the hole in time for us to land. The vines screamed and slithered like snakes under his icy attack. Holes popped up every other foot. Timothy slung his ice like he was Spiderman.

  I pushed myself harder and harder. I didn’t know where we were running to, but I had to hope there was an ending point to these tunnels. Or maybe an opening.

  My foot slipped on a slab of ice, and I slid forward like I was surfing. I tried to catch my footing, but Timothy’s magic was too smooth. My arms flailed around as my momentum carried me forward. I reached out to grab ahold of Timothy’s arm, but it slipped between my fingers.

  Timothy cursed and dropped to the ground.

  “Tim!” I screamed and looked over my shoulder.

  He was on his stomach clawing at the ice-covered vines. “Keep running!” He screamed as something yanked him backward.

  “NO!” I shrieked as those damn vines pulled him into a hole. I threw myself to the ground. My knees smashed into the ice and shot sharp pain up my legs. I scrambled and kicked, trying to crawl my way back to him. “I’m coming! Hold on!”

  “Emers—” His head dropped out of sight. Only his hands were sticking out above the hole, gripping huge ice spikes like handles.

  “TIMOTHY!” I cried and dove forward.

  He roared like a lion, and then his head appeared above the ice and vines. His face was strained and his whole body trembled. “GO!” He threw his hand up, and a tidal wave of ice slammed into me.

  “NO!” I screamed. No, no, no! “Timothy!”

  The wall of ice pushed me farther away from him like a snow plow. My heart pounded in my chest. My throat burned from my screaming, or maybe from the oxygen I wasn’t breathing. Timothy! I had to get to him. I had to save him. He was strong. He had to still be holding on. He had to. I flipped over then climbed up the jagged edges of the glacier.

  “Timothy, I’m comi—” I gasped. That hole was empty. The tunnel was black and taunting me. “NO!”

  My magic rushed to my fingertips, and I let it pour out of me. Timothy was gone. My vision blurred. I screamed and pushed with everything I had. Flames shot out from my hands, lighting anything it touched. The glacier melted under my feet until I saw the green of the vines. I threw my hands out and shot my flames farther and faster, until everything around me was lit.

  Hot tears rained down my face. I stood there staring into the blazing inferno of my creation. These tunnels had taken three of my friends. I didn’t know if Deacon was still alive. I didn’t know if my sister and brother were on the other side of this wall still. My magic was liquid fire, igniting everything in sight. Flames danced along my body, and I reveled in their warmth. I was the dragon terrorizing a village, and I was going to let it burn to ash and dust.

  Timothy had told me to keep running, but I wasn’t going to. If those vines wanted to suck me in and take me out…then I wanted to see them try.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  DEACON

  “Emersyn!” I screamed and pounded my fists against the tunnel walls. She wasn’t gone. She couldn’t be. “Help me! Please, help. Royce!”

  Royce reached out and placed his palms on the vines. His magic pulsed against the greenery, but nothing happened. I gasped and slammed my fists against it. Cooper and Henley ran over, grabbed one of the vines, and tried to pull it away, but it didn’t budge. They cursed then screamed her name over and over.

  My knuckles cracked open, and blood spilled onto the vines. My heart was a frozen rock in my chest. My body trembled and my bones rattled. My throat burned like I’d swallowed fire. The weight of the world crashed down on me, and I struggled to breathe.

  “Deacon!” Tegan shouted in my ear. “Deacon!”

  Something grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. I fought against it. I swung my arms and tried to grab ahold of a vine, but whatever had me was stronger. My fingers slipped away from the leaves, and I cried out. The world wobbled, and then I was facing Tennessee.

  “DEACON!” He squeezed both shoulders and shook me. “Can you feel her?”

  I frowned and stared at him. Can I feel her? Of course I couldn’t. She wasn’t there. She’d been ripped away and separated from me. I didn’t understand his question. If anyone should understand the pain I felt, it should’ve been him.

  Tegan ducked under her soulmate’s arm and stood between us. She reached up and yanked my jacket open, then pulled my shirt down. Soft blue light shined onto her face. She sighed. “Deacon. Look.”

  “What?” I shook my head and looked down. My eyes widened. My soulmate glyph pulsed with energy. “What’s that mean? What’s it mean?”

  Tennessee shook me again until I met his mismatched stare. He released one shoulder and tapped on my chest. “Can you feel her? Does it burn?”

  I opened my mouth and shut it again. Now that he mentioned it, my chest was burning. It hurt, but it was entirely familiar. My pulse slowed down just a bit. “Y-yes. Yes, it burns.”

  “Then she’s okay.” Tegan sighed and fell back against Tenn’s chest. Her eyes were hidden behind those black sunglasses, but I felt the relief in her aura. “We’ll find her.”

  Paulina screamed.

  I spun around, and my eyes widened. Those damned vines wrapped her arms and legs and pinned her back against the tunnel wall. We all lunged for her at the same time with our hands out. Everything moved in slow motion. Paulina thrashed against the vines. She screamed. Tennessee got to her first. He grabbed the vine coiled around her chest and pulled. But even he wasn’t quick enough. One of the vines wrapped around her mouth, and she choked on a scream. My fingers grazed over the smooth surface of the vine just as the ground opened up and sucked her out.

  “Paulina!” Henley cried and dove to the ground, but the hole was already closed.

  Tegan cursed violently and jumped back to her feet. She turned and charged the wall that separated us from Emersyn and Timothy. She flicked her wrists and threw her magic into the vine wall. “Give her back!”

  I tried to join her, but the ground rumbled and my balance faltered. I dropped to my knees with a thud. Get up. Get up. Tennessee jumped over me and landed right behind Tegan. He wrapped his arm around her waist and plucked her off the ground. She swung her legs and flailed her arms. Rainbow magic poured out of her in every direction.

  Let her go! I tried to scream, but my mouth wasn’t working. All I could do was watch and pray. If anyone had a chance of getting through that wall, it was Tegan. Her body lit up like a light bulb and her aura went nuts. The only thing keeping her in place was Tennessee, and I wasn’t sure how he was managing it. Let her go, let her go. I held my breath.

  The ground trembled and roared like thunder. The vines shrieked.

  Tennessee looked over his shoulder and yelled over the chaos, “Get together!”

  I scrambled to my feet, then ran towards him. Royce, Henley, and Cooper crashed into me. We grabbed ahold of each other’s arms and held on tight. Tenn turned to join us when vines thicker than my entire body shot up from under his feet. He flew through the air and landed a few feet away. Tegan landed on all fours.

  “NO!” Tegan’s scream pierced my eardr
ums. Her face went sheet white. She sprinted toward him, but her body dissolved into thin air mid step. She reappeared by his side just as he got back to his feet. She cried and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Stay with me.”

  Tennessee hugged her to his body and ran to where we were huddled together. He was by our side in two long strides. “We have to stay together.”

  Smoke billowed from within the vine wall. It was thick and black and seeped toward us like a tsunami. We coughed and huddled closer together. The vines shrieked and wailed. The leaves burst into flames. Fire erupted in the wall in front of us.

  Tennessee cursed. “Tegan, what did you do?”

  “N-nothing! This isn’t me.”

  “Are you sure?” Royce yelled back.

  “Not really!”

  There was a loud crack and pop, then the vines burst into one giant wall of fire. None of us spoke or moved. I wasn’t sure we were even breathing. Everything was happening so fast, but so slow at the same time. I watched in horror as the vines and leaves turned black and melted away a massive hole about ten feet tall. Little flames danced along the edges. Black smoke poured out like a broken dam. It was so thick and dark I couldn’t see through it. Hot energy pulsed through the smoke as whatever was behind it moved closer.

  Tennessee raised his long black sword in front of him. Tegan raised her hand and twirled her fingers. The black smoke disappeared in an instant.

  Emersyn stood on the other side of the scorched wall. My breath left me in a rush. Tears stung my eyes, and I dropped to my knees. Her blonde hair was ashy and a tangled mess. Both of her hands were raised in the air. Flames swirled around her fingers and wrists then all the way up her arms. Her golden eyes were brighter than midday sun. Her mouth was set in a firm line, and tears poured down her cheeks.

  Emersyn. Relief hit me harder than a freight train. I wanted to run to her, but my body was locked in place.

  “Thank Goddess,” Cooper whispered.