Ethan was laughing, truly enjoying the spectacle that was unfolding. His people found her. I slinked back behind the crowd, as I watched two men, push and pull Angela onto the stage. Ethan put his cup down and began clapping as he walked toward her. Trevor was nowhere in sight.
“Triss, it’s so nice to see you,” he said, climbing up the steps to the stage. He bent over and placed a piece of her falling hair behind her ear. She spat in his face and the crowd gasped.
“Every time we meet, you just have the rudest way about you,” he said through gritted teeth. He was standing facing the crowd now and scanning the audience’s reaction.
“It seems we were brought here under false pretenses,” he began. “You, members of the Praedivinus, were here to see your faithful leader get sworn in. Isn’t that right? Although, I have it on good authority most of you had planned on killing her before that happened. Well, I won’t let you get away with it. That honor is solely mine.” He grinned and clapped his hands together, walking along the stage. “But what you didn’t know is that she never had any intention of becoming your leader. She wants nothing to do with the Praedivinus. I actually have heard directly from her own lips that she wants to destroy it. Isn’t that so?” He turned to Angela.
“I changed my mind,” she said.
My stomach knotted as I watched my friend struggle against the two men holding her down. I wanted to run up there and tear her away from them, but I knew I was no match for an entire crowd of people who wanted nothing more than to see me die. I had to trust that in a few more minutes things would begin to fall into place.
“Wouldn’t your day really be made if you could kill me too?” Logan asked, his voice gravelly. “After all I’m the one who turned Lara to ash.”
***
The crowd parted as Logan walked through it, and I cupped my hand over my mouth in horror, stifling my gasp. Logan walked up to the stage and waited for a response. Ethan quickly pointed at two men who darted toward Logan. The crowd shuffled out of the way as the one man lunged at Logan. Logan dodged the man’s attempt by barreling into the other assailant. His elbow locking around the man’s neck, I heard a crack and watched the man’s body slump. The other man stood back up as Logan tossed the crumpled body aside. Logan’s reflexes were otherworldly as I watched him snap the next man’s spine with a swift reverse side kick that wasn’t even humanly possible.
Trevor came up behind me slowly. “No matter what you see, you can’t trade with her. I know it’s hard to watch.”
“Are you serious?” I shook my head. “I can’t promise anything.”
“You have to,” he whispered.
“What’s the matter with you?” I hissed. “You love her.”
“I love you more.”
My blood curdled and I turned to face him. “Were you saying something?” he asked me. Tears surfaced along the edges of his eyes as he looked toward Angela. And that’s when I realized Trevor wasn’t the one who said those things. It was Ethan. Ethan somehow got inside my mind even though I was inside Angela’s body. He figured it out. I looked toward the stage and saw Ethan staring right at me.
He waved at me and moved swiftly toward Angela. I started running toward the stage as he brandished a dagger. Logan caught me as I attempted to jump on stage. Trevor was right behind me.
“Switch,” I screamed. “Switch.”
Ethan’s eyes shot at me and back at Angela who was trying to free her arm to garner just a sip of the antidote.
“Babe, no,” Logan muttered.
“There’s no point,” I cried. “He knows!”
Trevor lunged at the men holding down Angela just as Ethan raised the dagger. Logan let go of me and ran up the stairs, shoving himself into Ethan. They both tumbled to the stage and I quickly grabbed the antidote and took a gulp. Trevor subdued one of the men as I ran up the stairs to help with the other. Angela had already grabbed her vial of the antidote. I tackled the other man with Trevor, freeing Angela enough to be able to swig the formula. Trevor continued pummeling the man with his fists. I knew the moment any of us drew magic to fight, the battle would be on. I scanned the crowd as they watched the spectacle unfold, unsure of whose story to believe. I turned to see my mom, who was running to the stage, waving her hands. She must have seen me take the formula. Blinks of light ignited in the trees. The fairies were here. I took a step backward, trying to gain my balance but fell down. Angela collapsed as well. We had been told transitioning back only took minutes, if that. Looking around, I wasn’t sure we had minutes.
My mom slid next to me, and pulled Angela alongside her. I tried to crane my neck to see Logan and Ethan, but I couldn’t move anything. The antidote must be working.
“You’ll be alright, honey. Just give it a minute. You only need a minute. You’ve got it. Both of you have this. Don’t be frightened,” my mom whispered, holding my hand.
I heard a loud pop and my heart fluttered, knowing someone had unleashed magic. I looked in my mom’s eyes, pleading for an update since I couldn’t see anything.
“It was Ethan. Logan had him and it was his only way out. Ethan flipped magic first,” she whispered, which meant one thing. Logan was in trouble.
The Praedivinus wouldn’t suspect anything as long as it wasn’t any one of us who lit the place up first. Now it was self-defense. I attempted to smile and my mom nodded, but then I couldn’t see her any longer. I slipped away. My vantage point was completely different now. I saw Trevor on his knees, coaxing Logan through the pain. I realized I was back in my body, and I felt a slow, comforting slither as my partner found its soul mate. I snapped upright and looked behind me at my mom. Angela was just coming around. I whipped my head back to Logan. Ethan had him in a hex grind, which made Logan’s arms useless. He was the equivalent of a ragdoll. I knew Logan would have been able to stop it too. He didn’t because he knew not to throw the first magical blow.
“How does that feel?” Ethan growled, his power regaining as the hex delivered its blows, sucking Logan’s energy.
My balance wasn’t the best, but that wouldn’t stop me. I stood up and faced the crowd that was comprised of both Praedivinus and Demoniker members.
“If you’re part of the Praedivinus, you knew my father and grandfather. And you believed in their vision for the Order,” I began. I was going to follow our plan as best as I could. “I was beyond shocked when I found out that the covenant bylaws appointed me next in line. It turned out many of you were, too. I also found out you thought putting a bounty on my head was a good idea.”
The crowd began shifting uncomfortably, and the pull to look behind me at Logan was killing me, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to help him unless I started the conflict.
“Well, I just wanted you to know that Ethan had a splendid idea, which I took him up on. I contacted Zelo and informed them that we didn’t have the ingredient, and we’d have to back out of the contract. In addition to refunding Zelo, I took the liberty of using the very same bounty hunters you had decided to sic on me and gave them the opportunity to track down the other corporate entities that were being cheated. I know my family’s wealth and the Order’s existence depends on this type of income and for that I’m sorry. Looks like you all will have to get a job. But it sounds like Ethan and his Order would love to fold you into his. That’s why he’s here. He asked me to fold the Praedivinus Order into his.” I smiled, watching the confusion turn to anger on the faces in the audience. “Just like you all, Ethan has been threatening my family unless we did this. So I’m sure you can understand my position on this. I have turned you over to this man.”
“We aren’t objects,” one of the Praedivinus yelled. “You’ll pay for this.”
A few members of the Demoniker Order began backing out of the area, but not before some of our Witch Avenue friends grabbed them and walked them to the underground fun house.
“You don’t realize what you’ve done,” Ethan snarled from behind me.
I turned and smiled. “I know exactly
what I’ve done.”
My eyes fell on Logan and Ethan caught my mistake. “Painful to see someone you love tormented, isn’t it, my love?” he asked. “Imagine one step further.”
“No need,” I replied, looking directly into Ethan’s wicked eyes.
“Why’s that?” he asked.
My palms were tingling with warmth and desire, but that wasn’t part of the plan. We wanted to take them down without any Divinus abilities, if possible.
I ignored Ethan instead.
“Your family has always been driven by the dark side,” Ethan yelled. “Don’t start thinking you’re special and can change the world. The evil will win within you.”
I flashed him a smile. “Things can always be reversed. Things can always change.”
“You’re only fooling yourself. Once it’s in your blood, it’s in your blood. Isn’t that right, Logan?”
Logan’s body continued to absorb the shock from Ethan’s fingertips.
“Don’t let him fill you with fear. I’ll always be with you no matter what happens,” his voice hoarse.
The shock of his words ignited the fury I’d been trying to control. The heat in my hands became unbearable as I shot a string of flames directly at Ethan. Logan fell free from Ethan’s hex while Ethan tried to dodge my next shot.
“So you have some abilities from your father, I see.” Ethan laughed, crawling toward the edge of the stage. “Proves my point even more.”
“Don’t even,” I said, watching him attempt to flee before I shot another ring of flames around him. “Is this how you want to go? At my hands?”
“It’s just another way to die,” Ethan snapped, cowering as the ring of fire trapped him.
A low, chant began surfacing behind me as the Praedivinus began moving toward the stage. Apparently my words sunk in.
“Out of our way,” one of the men said.
I ran to Logan, who was gripping his throat, trying to steady his breathing. I helped him up and we hopped off the back of the stage while my mom, Trevor, and Angela slid off the side.
I watched as the Praedivinus descended on the stage toward Ethan and like clockwork, the Demonikers followed.
“Do we dare?” Jenny asked. She had been stationed at the button the entire time.
I looked at Logan and Trevor who both nodded and gave Jenny the thumbs up sign as she squashed the button with her palm. The floor dropped out from under the sorcerers who were on the stage, dumping them into the maze.
I felt a flurry of delight as I watched the floor lock back in place, but it was quickly replaced with a sense of urgency. I looked toward the trees and saw the blinking of the fairies. They were ready and waiting. The whole place was encircled in case anyone tried to escape.
We ran to the entrance and verified that it had caved in. That only left the one exit for any of them to escape from, if any of them made it. The greed and anger that was fueling their vengeance wasn’t going to end well for most of them. We darted toward the exit that was on the other side of the house. Sparks hopped up the stairs, followed by smoke. A glow would follow and then the stairwell would go dark. My heart was beating so quickly at the thought of any of the sorcerers coming up the stairs.
“We need to go down there,” Trevor said.
“Why?” Thinking they’d just finish each other all off.
Unfortunately, that was a short-lived hope as the first sorcerer appeared. One of the Demonikers climbed up the stairs. Flashing his wand at Trevor, I threw a ball of fire at the Demoniker who instantly fell.
“That’s why,” Trevor responded.
Logan looked at Trevor and then at me. “I want you to stay behind.”
“No. I’ll let you and Trevor go first, but my abilities could only help down there.”
“She’s right,” Trevor replied.
Logan gave a quick nod and headed down the stairs, with Trevor right behind.
“You guys stay here,” I said, looking at Jenny and everyone else. They nodded in agreement and walked me to the stairs.
My heart started beating quickly as I watched the sparks bounce up the steps every so often. Trevor was only a few steps below me and Logan below him. The smell of smoke and burnt earth wafted through the air. I heard an orchestra of chanting, yells, and screams, as every witch fought for their life.
Logan reached the bottom of the stairs. Sliding his back along the wall he watched and waited until another straggler appeared. Trevor stood next to him and nodded at me as I made it to the last step.
To my right a female sorcerer came running out of one of the corridors, her eyes blazing red. She shot a blast at Trevor, but he ducked. I threw my fist in her direction, releasing the flames. Her arms shot into the air as my powers engulfed her before she crumpled to the ground.
The screams continued echoing down the halls as we waited for any other escapees.
“Should we go see?” Trevor asked, glancing at Logan. “Make sure one side isn’t winning over another?”
Logan bit his lip and glanced at me.
“I think we should,” I answered Trevor’s question. “But I think you should stay here so that no one gets out.”
Trevor nodded and Logan held out his hand, which I grabbed and we began snaking through the closest corridor. The deeper into the maze, the thicker the smoke, which made me doubt my idea. Logan tripped forward, bringing me with him, and my stomach knotted as I realized we had just fallen over someone’s body.
There were two sorcerers directly in front of us fighting one another by trading currents and displacing realities. Even though it was hard to see, a faint outline of a bubble surrounded them as they discharged spell after spell.
I heard Trevor yell, and Logan and I took off quickly toward the exit. There were three Praedivinus members cornering Trevor. Logan crouched down, slowly snaking behind one of them. The male sorcerer on the right threw a fireball at Trevor, grazing his shoulder just as Logan jumped up and snapped the sorcerer’s neck.
My snake quickly formed into my bow and landed in my hands. I drew the bowstring back, centering on the female sorcerer who turned to face Logan and me. She raised her hand in a quick flash and I released the string, My arrow sliced into the center of her chest as the arrowhead moved through her heart. Logan kicked the remaining sorcerer toward Trevor, who caught him, before Logan landed a charge through him. The sorcerer slouched, and Trevor let go as we watched the man fall to the ground.
The screams and chants were lessening down the corridors. Many lives were being destroyed. It seemed to be pretty equal. Logan gestured toward the stairs, and I ran up them with Trevor and Logan right behind. Upon seeing me, relief spread over my mom’s face, but before we knew what was happening an entire horde of Demoniker sorcerers climbed up the stairs and charged us.
The ground began shaking as they began casting us. I looked over at Logan who was blocking their spell. Something didn’t seem right. I glanced at my mom, who was forming a shield with Ellsy and Vieta, and saw her weakening with everything that was being thrown at them. The earth continued to rumble, and I watched Ethan climb up the stairs. But what was infinitely more unnerving was the smile he wore as he did so.
Demons had been summoned. I felt a warmth spread through me as my father began connecting to me.
“There were too many. I couldn’t stop them,” my father’s voice was solemn.
Blue electricity that scattered across the night’s sky made way for the crack of thunder sounding overhead. I looked around, watching everyone battling the attacks that were targeted at them, except for me.
Ethan was coming for me. I began backing up when I felt the first attack on my soul. It wasn’t physical. It was mental. The horror he shot through me landed me on my knees. The overwhelming pain from sadness boiled through my veins as if the emotion was a chemical that could eat away at my soul. I tried raising my head, but felt too weak.
“What did I tell you?” he sang, standing only a foot away from me.
I cocked my
head to see him, his evil smile. I held out my hand and bowed my head in submission.
“The pain too much for you, my love,” he crooned.
I nodded, feeling his fingers slide into mine.
“Are you asking for forgiveness,” he asked.
The coolness glided along my fingertips, and I squeezed tightly around his hand as his screams began churning through the air. Unable to hide my smile, I looked up at Ethan, who had now dropped to his knees as the liquid metal spread through his hand, down to his wrist.
“You….” he fumed.
“Call off your demons,” I commanded.
“Absolutely not,” he replied, writhing in agony. The ground continued shaking, and I looked around at everyone shielding, casting, and throwing magic. I was no longer certain about how this would end.
He knew I wouldn’t kill him until he called off his demons. I knew he wouldn’t call off his demons unless I almost killed him.
I watched as the ground around us continued cracking, allowing the demons to come into our realm as they swirled and swerved through the crevices, pulling and tugging at my family and friends. I began hearing the welcome sound of fluttering wings as the fairies began surrounding us. They began fighting their brethren from the underworld. I watched the little fairies, bob and weave, taunting the larger demons, before they would sink their shiny fangs into them and rip them to shreds.
Their fierceness and power excited me. I wanted to be that person. Just once, I wanted to feign horror and have people recognize and taste the terror that I threw down.
But that wasn’t who I was.
Ethan’s breathing continued to grow ragged as the liquid flowed up his arm. His eyes darted to the fairies and back to me. I accidentally let my guard down and he shoved his metal fist through mine and into my chest, knocking me to the ground. He wrapped his one good hand around my throat and began gripping it with every ounce of strength he had left. I felt my ring spin on my pinky. My heart was pounding as I popped open the locket and grabbed the tiny amulet out of it. As I gasped for air, I knew he wouldn’t stop squeezing with his one good hand to stop me. Tears were running down my face as I tried to squirm enough to continue to dislodge the constant pressure he was forcing around my neck. Grasping the amulet between my thumb and index finger, I brought my hand up to my chest. I wriggled my body along the ground, trying to do anything to stop his crushing grip when my fingers slid the amulet into place on my pendant. And I made my choice.
Witch Avenue Series (The Complete Set) Page 88
