Beyond Sight (Coastview Prophecies Book 2)

by Simone Pond

  “You okay, Sibby?” I called out.

  “Open your eyes,” she murmured.

  I glanced over my shoulder to see Eli and Marlo yanking up the floorboards and tossing them to the side. As they ripped away the planks, the rain fell harder like icy daggers cutting into my skin. Sibyl stood out in the open, her hair and t-shirt drenched. I forced myself to move and made my way over to her, trying to pull her under the dome of the gazebo for shelter. But she wouldn’t budge. Her eyes beamed like two full moons.

  “Something’s here!” Eli shouted.

  “Oh, wow,” Marlo said.

  Sibyl shivered out of her trance, her eyes returning to their pale blue color. “The Holy Rock,” she whispered.

  I took her hand and helped her up into the gazebo. Eli and Marlo stared down into the hole they had created. Below the planks beamed majestic rays of silvery blue. As I leaned down to get a closer look, I saw an iridescent sphere that looked like a glass marble with layers of shifting colors.

  “The Holy Rock,” Sibyl whispered again.

  This wasn’t the mammoth stone I was expecting to find. This was the most exquisite beauty I’d ever seen. We stood mesmerized by its radiance.

  “It’s glorious,” Marlo said in awe.

  “Oh, yeah.” Sibyl smiled.

  But I didn’t get to imbibe the beauty of the rock because I heard something. I jerked around to scope out the yard.

  “What is it?” Eli asked.

  “She’s coming,” Sibyl said.

  “Who’s coming?” Marlo asked.

  I tore off my wet shirt and yanked off my rain-sodden jeans. Within seconds, I went from drenched human to dog and shook out my fur.

  Brooke Thorne strutted from the trees, her unmistakable jet-black hair pulled back to reveal the sharp angles of her face and those alluring cherry black eyes. The scent of tuberose that had once been so intoxicating made my stomach turn. She had been playing me the whole time.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Sibyl

  Though Vago might’ve been shocked, I wasn’t surprised to see Brooke Thorne’s ruby red spirit striding toward us. I had suspected she was on the wrong side of things the moment we were introduced at the coffee shop. She had been playing with Vago like a cat batting at a ball of yarn.

  The rain thrashed down, thunder rumbled above. Vago’s blue spirit flickered as his growl deepened. But as Brooke moved closer toward him, he grew quieter. Then he stopped growling altogether and sat motionless—utterly docile. What was she doing to him? Because of the ruby red spirit cloak Brooke had masking her true nature, I had no idea what she was. A lizard demon? Witch? Whatever she was, she had some intense powers.

  “Good booooy,” she cooed to Vago, patting his head.

  I cringed watching her touch my best friend. My cells fired to life with a fierce determination to run over and knock her to the ground.

  “Don’t let her near the rock!” I told Eli and Marlo. “Vago, wake up! She’s got you under a spell!” I shouted.

  I started walking over toward them, but I suddenly couldn’t move. My feet felt like blocks of concrete. I tried lifting my pitching arm, but it was frozen by my side. Brooke was using mind manipulation on me now.

  “Stay back. She has control if you get too close,” I shouted to Eli and Marlo.

  “Shhh, sweetie. You need to stop talking now,” she said to me.

  And so I shut my mouth.

  Eli and Marlo stood guarding the gazebo. She’d have to get through Eli’s lightning if she wanted to get to the rock. A corona of shimmering turquoise flashed behind Brooke, and Marlo appeared. She slammed a large plank of wood across the back of Brooke’s head, knocking her face down onto the ground. With that, I was able to break free of her stronghold.

  Brooke shot back up in a flash of flames, but she was no longer a glittering red spirit. She was a seething, ferocious black panther—one that I could see—and lunged right at Marlo. They toppled to the ground, and Marlo’s head slammed against the dirt with a thump that resonated in my own chest. Marlo was out. Brooke jumped up and started running toward the gazebo.

  “Eli!” I screamed.

  “On it!”

  A crack shot across the sky and lightning streaked down toward the savage black panther. The bolt just missed Brooke’s back leg as she charged toward the steps to the gazebo. Eli had no choice but to call down more lightning. The flare of white light shot right toward the black panther, but at the last second, she darted away and the lightning struck the gazebo.

  “Nooooo!” Eli shouted.

  I didn’t see what happened, but I had a pretty good idea …

  Marlo groaned, rubbing the back of her head.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah, go see what happened.”

  I ran over to Eli, who was crouching on his knees, staring down into a black abyss where the radiant rock had once glowed in all its glory.

  “It’s gone. I’m so sorry,” he said, just above a whisper.

  I dropped to my knees and held him. “It’s not your fault.”

  The rain stopped. A heavy film of tuberose saturated the air. I stood up to find a very naked Brooke Thorne standing a few feet away. I could see her—the perfect waistline and long slender legs of a supermodel. Her physical perfection only added to my hatred.

  “Appreciate your help!” she said in a chipper tone. “I was just supposed to keep Vago distracted, but thanks for going ahead and destroying it.”

  “You evil bitch!” I stepped forward and tripped over a fallen beam.

  Her laughter only fueled the fire in my gut. I tossed the wood aside and got up, then rushed toward her, ramming my shoulder into her flat stomach. We toppled to the ground and rolled around, kicking and punching. She actually took a wad of my hair and pulled. I bent her arm back, almost snapping the bone until she finally let go of my hair. Using my good arm, I shoved her down with supernatural force and straddled her. She spat at me.

  “Very un-panther like.” I slammed my fist into her jaw; sparks shot into the air at impact.

  “Stop! You’re provoking her. Just let her go,” Eli shouted.

  “Screw her,” I yelled, punching her smug face again.

  I was hitting Brooke Thorne where it hurt the most. Her eyes illuminated with rage. She grunted and heaved me off with the force of a gale wind. Her skin shifted to glossy black fur and out came her sickle-like claws. The enormous black panther crouched before me, saliva dripping from her fangs. She was going to pounce and rip me open. I glanced over at Eli. I wanted him to be the last thing I saw.

  From the corner of my eye, Brooke’s sleek black body leapt into the air, arching toward me. By reflex, I covered my neck. She’d have to gnaw through my hands first before reaching my jugular. Just before Brooke made contact, Vago’s blue spirit sparkled across the path and t-boned right into her side. I watched in joyful surprise as blood poured from the fur of her neck. Vago and Brooke tussled together, snarling and biting sounds rising into a frenzied crescendo. Marlo ran over with a plank of wood and slammed it down onto the panther’s skull over and over until Brooke went limp. The heap of black fur lay still as a stone.

  “It’s done,” I said.

  Marlo ran over holding Vago; his blue spirit was almost out. He panted rapidly in a high-pitched whimper.

  “He’s hurt pretty bad,” she said.

  “Let’s get him inside!” I said, then looked at Eli.

  We ran inside and Marlo set Vago down on the kitchen floor. I pet his blood-soaked fur. “Where?”

  “She got him in the side. And the wound on his neck opened up,” Marlo said.

  Eli sat down and placed Vago’s head gently into his lap. Vago’s panting increased like he was running a marathon.

  I stroked his soft head. “It’s okay, buddy. Eli’s gonna heal you.”

  Eli brushed back the damp hair from his forehead. “He looks pretty bad. I hope I have enough resources.”

  “You can do it,” I told him. “
Just do your thing and have faith.”

  Eli’s brow relaxed a bit and he began whispering in Vago’s ears.

  “What’s he doing?” Marlo asked.

  “Whispering to the wounds,” I said.

  The three of us huddled around Vago, Eli whispering in some incoherent ancient language. Marlo kept glancing over to me. I smiled, letting her know it was going to be okay. The energy around us warmed up, and Vago’s panting slowed down a bit.

  “How is he?” I asked, wishing I could see Vago in his dog form.

  Marlo pulled back the towel to inspect. “He’s healed. Wow. That’s amazing.”

  Eli got up and tossed over a dish towel. “You can shift back now, buddy.”

  Vago shifted back into his human form and stretched out before us, bare-ass naked. Marlo and I looked away, embarrassed. He grinned, snatching the dish towel and covering his man parts.

  “You girls are so 19th century,” he teased.

  Eli went and collapsed on the couch.

  “What happened to the rock?” Vago asked.

  “It’s not good,” Eli said.

  “What?”

  “We destroyed it,” I answered for Eli.

  “I don’t understand what happened,” Vago said. “Why couldn’t we protect it?”

  I exhaled. “Maybe we weren’t meant to.”

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Sibyl

  The plan to take down Whitmore was simple. When the guests lined up to get their books signed, Marlo would stand at the end of the line. Once she got to the table, she’d grab Whitmore’s arm and teleport him to the garden where Eli, Vago, and I would be waiting. Vago and I would distract Whitmore, while Eli called down a bolt of lightning to fry the murderous demon.

  It was a solid plan.

  Vago stood up and cocked his head. “Aw, man.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Gotta go.”

  “You’re kidding?!”

  “I can’t ignore the call of the pack,” Vago said. “Trust me, I’d much rather go after Whitmore with you guys. I’m not looking forward to telling them the Holy Rock I was supposed to find and guard is demolished.”

  He walked toward the back door, adjusting the collar of a vintage shirt Eli had let him borrow.

  “Aren’t you going to shift?” I asked, confused.

  “I want to explain what happened—with words.”

  Vago trudged across the back yard toward the woods with his tail between his legs—so to speak—to explain to the other Guardians of the Rock they might be out of a job.

  Marlo and I went to Esther’s room to get out of the wet clothes and clean up for the book signing. She searched through the wardrobe for some dry “event-worthy” clothes.

  “I’ll be fine in some yoga pants,” I said.

  “If I’m dressing up for the occasion, so are you,” she said.

  Marlo handed me a soft cotton dress that draped all the way to my feet.

  “What’s it look like?” I asked.

  “Peasant style. You’d make any hippie beam with pride.”

  Esther’s scent—hints of eucalyptus and spearmint—still lingered on the material. Something about being sheathed in Esther’s garments gave me a feeling of security. Marlo brushed out my damp hair, then used a hair dryer to give it a wavy and ethereal look. I trusted she knew what she was doing since I couldn’t see my final results.

  She slipped into a boho-gypsy-style dress that stopped at her knees. The orange and navy blue patterns complemented her sandy brown hair and gave her almond-shaped eyes a more exotic vibe. Very different from her preppy, conservative style. Marlo Knight was gorgeous when she came out of her shell.

  “Stunning,” I said. “Whitmore won’t be able to take his lizard eyes off you!”

  A pinkish blush spread across her cheeks as she admired herself in the mirror of the Victorian dresser. “Esther had some style.”

  “She was an interesting woman,” I said.

  “Come on, it’s almost three. We need to go.”

  Downstairs, Eli was waiting in the living room. He had changed into a fresh pair of vintage gabardine gray pants and a simple white polo shirt. His blond hair glistened as it swooped over his forehead. My heart fluttered a bit, and I realized how much I wanted to kiss him. Our moments of privacy were too few and far between. Books or blood sacrifices kept getting in the way of our budding relationship. But I was patient because good things take time. I smiled as he stood up.

  “Whoa,” he said, gaping at me.

  “What?”

  “You’re enchanting. Can’t stop staring … Sorry.”

  The temperature rose in my cheeks.

  “Your grandmother had some serious style,” Marlo said, thankfully saving me from further embarrassment.

  “Yeah, she was an interesting woman,” Eli said.

  Marlo laughed and glanced at me. “That’s what I hear.”

  “We should get going,” I said. “We can go over the revised plan on the way. I don’t want any surprises.”

  Eli laughed at that one.

  ***

  We drove along the curvy coastline to the peninsula. All three of us were a little edgy, but also geared up. Same way I was before a big game. I knew there wasn’t room to let one flicker of fear get into our heads. We had to stay strong and focused.

  “The main thing to remember is his power of telepathy. He’s probably going to use it tonight at the event. He might use a spell or incantation while he’s reading from his book. Who knows. Just keep your defenses up. Be on alert,” I told her.

  “How am I supposed to do that?” she asked.

  Eli glanced into the rearview mirror and smiled at Marlo. “I think what Sibyl is trying to say is don’t let him get into your head.”

  “The second you start to feel hazy or even the slightest dip in concentration, get out of there. Okay?”

  “And you two will be in the garden, right?”

  “Yes, as soon as the official ‘book signing’ is over, we’ll go out to the garden. After all the women have their books signed, you grab his arm and teleport him out there.”

  Marlo sighed heavily. “What if something happens? What if you’re not out there?”

  “If Eli and I aren’t in the garden, you teleport the hell out of there immediately. Don’t worry about anything else. Just get out before his power takes hold of you. We’ll regroup at Eli’s and come up with another plan.”

  She looked at me, the panic bugging out her eyes. “What if you’re not at Eli’s?”

  “Listen, you can’t think like a scientist right now,” I said. “You just have to have faith. That’s the bottom line. It’s like we’re at the bottom of the ninth and the game is tied. Our team is gonna knock the ball out of the park and win this thing.”

  She nodded. “You’re sure?”

  “Of course.”

  I said this though I wasn’t really sure about anything. How could I be? We were going up against a demon who had the power of mind manipulation. Once again, I was banking on blind faith. Somehow things would come together. Even if the climb was rocky.

  “Okay. I’m ready,” she said. “But won’t the guests wonder what happened to him if he suddenly disappears?”

  “They can chalk it up to a metaphysical phenomenon,” I said.

  Eli turned off the smooth highway onto the bumpy drive that led to the end of the peninsula. I won’t lie, I had some pre-game jitters. But I kept up a guise of confidence for Marlo’s sake. I didn’t want to open the door to any of those evil Spirit Handlers. No additional annoyances needed on such an important night.

  I texted Aunt Ruthie, and she met us at the back entrance by the kitchen. The clamoring and clanging of caterers buzzed about. I caught a whiff of pastry puffs and other finger foods. My stomach rumbled. The only thing I had put into my body all day was coffee—and Baileys at four in the morning. I was starving.

  We followed Aunt Ruthie out of the kitchen, down one of the long halls to another
shorter one, then another. I hoped Eli was paying attention because I was completely turned around.

  “You ladies look lovely, by the way,” Aunt Ruthie said.

  “Thanks again for hooking me up,” Marlo said.

  Aunt Ruthie chuckled lightly. “I’m very interested in hearing this professor. But to be honest, I tried reading one of his books and it went straight over my head.”

  I reached for Aunt Ruthie’s shoulder. “You’re not sticking around for the whole event, are you?”

  “Well, of course, dear. I’ll be here until the last piece of dust is swept up from the floors. You sound worried. Is everything okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I said. Now I’d have to keep a watch on Aunt Ruthie, too.

  She jiggled a set of keys and unlocked a door. The slab of wood clanked open and we followed her into a room.

  “Here’s one of the rooms behind the ‘platform’ where Whitmore will be situated. I think you’ll be able to hear him just fine if you crack this door over here, Eli. See which one I’m talking about?”

  Aunt Ruthie unlocked another door and he peeked out and nodded. “Perfect,” he said.

  “Nobody will even know you’re back here. You can set up two chairs next to the opening. Then when it’s over, I’ll come get you.”

  The way she said when it’s over sent an ominous chill down my neck. When which part was over? The slaying of Whitmore? The rescue of the girls?

  “Thanks so much, Aunt Ruthie. You’re such a sweetheart.”

  She came over to me and kissed my cheek. “Enjoy yourselves. You look stunning, my love. I hope you and Eli have a romantic evening together. There’s a candle he can light until the guests start arriving in about forty-five minutes. And I left some bread and cheese from Mr. Rosen’s shop.” She leaned in closer and whispered, “There’s a half carafe of pinot on the shelf. One glass each won’t do any harm.”

  I gave her a long hug as though it would be our last.

  “Come now, Miss Marlo. Let’s get you set up at the front. I’ll show you how to escort the guests to their chairs as they come into the library. There are about four other ushers.”