by Lizzy Ford
Alexa hesitated. Her gaze went to Dawn.
“If he didn’t see what you did to Summer, he won’t see this,” Dawn countered.
“Well, I told him about hurting Tarzan. I didn’t say anything about you or Summer, though,” Alexa said, pensive. “He’s –“
“Give it to me,” Dawn said, holding out her hand. “I’ll stab her first and show you nothing happens.”
Autumn eyed the knife. This was probably going to hurt. She steeled herself for pain and readied her air magick.
“Where do I stab?” Dawn asked, taking Alexa’s place in front of her.
“Depends,” the guy at her back replied. “Quick or slow death?”
Dawn gazed at her for a minute. “Whatever. Beck will be on his way soon.”
Autumn shook her head, horrified by the turn of events. Helplessness crept into her thoughts. She wasn’t able to run or move. They were going to kill her. The car accident, Decker, the magick …
She wasn’t dead yet.
“Lower abdomen,” Alexa said. “You don’t want it over before Beck gets here, and the roads are probably blocked by snow. We’ll let her bleed out slowly.”
“Thanks,” Autumn muttered.
“My pleasure.” Alexa smiled coldly.
Dawn’s gaze dropped to Autumn’s stomach. Autumn couldn’t help thinking they’d picked the one part of her body that hadn’t been scarred by the accident. Dawn moved closer and gripped Autumn’s shoulder to brace herself.
Autumn breathed out just as Dawn shoved the knife towards her. She cringed, expecting pain. The air magick caught it the knife and held it a few inches from her stomach. Dawn pushed harder, and Autumn prayed for the magick to hold.
The teen behind her chuckled. “Smart. This one doesn’t want to die.”
This one. They really had killed Tanya. Autumn didn’t let his words distract her. At last, Dawn wrenched the knife away in frustration. She paused then stabbed at Autumn, this time towards her throat. Autumn barely reacted in time. The air magick deflected the blow without blocking it, and the knife slid into her shoulder, bringing with it hot pain.
It did the opposite of what she expected. Instead of feeling more helpless, she grew angry. She knew pain. They were friends. It was the reason she’d learned to control her own body and mind. Right now, it sharpened her focus.
“See? Nothing happened,” Dawn said, satisfied.
“You barely grazed her,” Alexa said in amusement.
“Yeah, it didn’t hurt,” Autumn said. Autumn didn’t grimace like she wanted to at the words. Dawn had sunk the knife into her shoulder almost to the hilt. There was no barely about it. She wanted them to kill her fast, if her magick wasn’t able to contain the knife. Beck wasn’t going to save her this time, and she had little hope of leaving the field alive tonight.
“Shut. Up,” Dawn breathed. “This is all your fault. If not for you, I’d be marrying Beck and Alexa would have Decker!”
“That is pure delusion,” Autumn said, almost pitying the girl. “You got knocked up and the father realized you’re a bitch and wants nothing to do with you. Now you have no idea what to do. At least you’re getting a trust fund out of it. I wonder if it was worth losing your modeling career?”
Dawn punched her, or tried to. Autumn blocked the blow with air magick. Fury crossed Dawn’s face, and she stabbed at her with the knife. Again, the air caught it before it reached Autumn.
Stepping back, Dawn’s eyes flared. Air magick lifted her hair, and Autumn realized she’d pushed the girl too far. Autumn felt the magick gathering without knowing what Dawn planned to do with it.
“Dawn, don’t do anything crazy,” Alexa warned.
“Listen to her, Dawn! If you do anything to bring Decker-” the guy behind Autumn released her.
Incensed, Dawn wasn’t listening. Wind whipped around them, howling.
“Dawn, seriously. If you –“ Alexa grabbed Dawn’s arms.
“Leave me alone!” Dawn shouted, trying to push her away. Alexa refused to release her. Dawn lashed out with the knife, and Autumn saw a line of red form across Alexa’s cheek. Alexa didn’t let go of her wrist.
Autumn crept away, towards the tree line. The guy was shoved away by air magick, and Autumn gasped as Dawn broke free and ran after her. She braced herself to be knocked down. Dawn’s air magick pushed ahead, and Autumn fell back, the furious girl on top of her. Autumn’s air magick deflected the knife aimed at her eye, and it landed in the hard ground beside her ear.
Magick that wasn’t hers washed over her, pinning her to the ground. She struggled to breathe and focused what she was able to on channeling her air to keep the knife away from her. Dawn cursed, and the sensation of being crushed by air increased. Tunnel vision formed and her ears began to buzz, distracting her. Pain tore through her side.
The pressure was gone suddenly, along with Dawn’s weight. Autumn gasped, breathing deep and fast. She didn’t have time to recover completely, not with Alexa and Dawn fighting close enough to hit her.
She rolled onto her knees and pushed herself up. The knife wound in her side burned, the blood warming her cold skin. She had no idea if there was any organ it might’ve hit. It wasn’t the kind of pain she was used to, but it wasn’t nearly as bad, either. She faced the Dark boy, who stood between her and the forest.
His eyes were on the two girls. Autumn limped forward, shook out her leg then hedged past him.
He gasped and grew pale. “Dawn …”
Autumn didn’t want to look, but she did. Black fog swirled around Dawn’s feet and crept up her body. Her amulet flared white then turned dark. Alexa stepped back from her, fear crossing her face.
Autumn watched as confusion then anger registered in Dawn’s eyes. The blond girl looked up suddenly, focused on Autumn with wildness that made her step away.
“You did this,” Dawn’s voice was a hiss.
“I’m getting out of here,” Alexa said.
Autumn silently agreed and wished she was able to run. Dawn bent to grab the knife from the ground, and Autumn knew before the charge what the girl planned to do. Her magick stopped the knife but not Dawn’s body from plowing into her. They rolled in the snow. Autumn was unable to track the position of the knife and prayed she didn’t end up with it sticking out of her neck. When they stopped moving, she pushed at Dawn with all her strength. Dawn released her long enough for Autumn to clamber to her feet.
“We need that knife!” the teen guy shouted. “It’s got Tanya’s –“
His voice warbled. Autumn felt lightheaded. She shook her head and checked herself for more wounds. The snow was streaked with blood from where they’d rolled. She couldn’t tell if she was hit again or not.
Alexa appeared torn, not moving forward until the guy ran for Dawn. He shoved by Autumn. She caught her balance before ending up in the snow. He struggled with Dawn, who didn’t want to give it up. Finally, he punched her. Dawn lashed out at him, but Alexa tackled her to the ground.
Dawn didn’t move.
Alexa pulled the knife free then rose and ran. The teen guy glanced at Dawn then at Autumn, as if uncertain whether or not to finish their business with her. Autumn felt the heat of fire and cold shadows creep over her seconds before the Master of Dark appeared.
The teen bolted.
Autumn stumbled forward to Dawn and sank beside her. Black fog darted around her. Autumn checked for a pulse. It was weak. Blood leaked from Dawn’s body into the snow.
Autumn pulled the earth magic and pushed it into Dawn, assessing what was wrong. The knife had sliced her across the chest when they wrestled, and she’d hit her head against a rock when she fell. The blood was from these two wounds, though there was a lot of bruising in her limbs and back. Afraid of what the earth might tell her, Autumn rested a hand on Dawn’s abdomen.
The baby was okay.
She released a breath. Dawn needed to go to the hospital, fast, before she lost too much blood.
A sickening crunch drew her attentio
n to the direction the boy had run. Autumn glanced up and froze.
Decker had lifted the teen off his feet then snapped his neck. He dropped the Dark teen. Autumn’s throat tightened so fast, she could hardly breathe. Shadows and fire surrounded Decker in a pulsing halo, radiating power. He wasn’t even trying to control it, and the hot-cold combination reached her across the clearing.
The air was terrified. It made it even harder for Autumn to breathe. She knew before she saw Decker’s face that it wasn’t him. It was that thing, the Darkness, that possessed his body.
Her eyes went to Dawn. He was here for her. The trio that tried to stab her and leave her was child’s play compared to the Master of Dark. The earth was warm beneath her as she urged it to comfort Dawn. Its distant grumble was worried, and air magick clung to her, afraid and sensing her danger.
“You need to leave, Autumn.”
She jerked, surprised. Beck crouched beside her, gaze on the form of his twin across the clearing. His magick was loose as well, and he glowed with white.
“Dawn needs help,” she replied.
“You can’t fight this battle.”
“I won’t. I’ll ask-“
“Autumn, Decker’s gone. Whatever that is, it’s not him,” Beck said softly. He glanced at her before returning his eyes to Decker. “He’s gone. You need to get out of here.”
His words hurt more than the wounds Dawn caused. Beck had given up on Decker, but Autumn couldn’t. She’d seen a part of him no one else had. She knew his pain and what he’d done. It wasn’t too late. It couldn’t be!
Decker faced them. Autumn paled. His eyes were filled with shadows, his face like a mask. There was no trace of humanity in either.
Fight it, Decker, she willed him silently.
“Go. I’ll deal with this.” Beck rose, pulling her with him. He pushed her towards the forest then leaned down, slicing Dawn’s amulet free.
Decker strode towards them. Beck took a few steps forward to meet him, and Autumn was still, unable to leave. Air magick was nudging Dawn, trying to wake her. Beck and Decker stopped feet from one another. Their voices were too low for her to hear. Decker started past Beck, but the Master of Light stopped him, holding up the amulet.
Decker snatched it and crushed it with his hand before tossing it. Shadows crept from where the amulet landed, skating across the snow back to him. His gaze was on Dawn. Autumn read his intentions; whatever he’d turned into, he wasn’t going to let anyone leave the field alive.
Her eyes went to Beck. She saw the resolution there before the pulse of magick filled the air. The silent challenge stopped Decker in his tracks. He whirled, fire and shadows flaring around him.
The earth rumbled beneath her feet, and the air grew hot as the two faced off. Autumn glanced at Dawn, realizing she needed to get the girl out of there somehow. She moved forward and lowered herself to the ground, touching Dawn. The pregnant girl was in shock. Autumn pulled earth magick up through her legs and pushed it into Dawn.
With a flash, the battle between the twins began. Autumn shielded her eyes. The air sparked with magick. She looked down at Dawn and rose. Autumn looped her arms under Dawn’s and began pulling her. She willed the air to clear a path for her. Frantic, the air kicked up snow as it obeyed.
Relying mainly on her good leg, Autumn concentrated on moving step-by-step, dragging Dawn towards the forest. She’d learned to walk this way. One leg. Then the other. It was like the early days of rehab: weak, hurting from wounds that hadn’t yet healed, inching along because she wasn’t willing to give up. She’d made it through that. She’d make it through this.
Step, pull. Step, pull.
The field was filled with lightening, fire and fury. Autumn choked down her tears and forced herself to focus.
Step, pull.
Chapter Seventeen
Sam’s summons woke Rania from her place on the couch, where she’d spent the past week sleeping. She sat quickly, sensing the urgency. She yanked on her boots and stood to snatch her coat. She had just released her shadows when she heard Michael’s quiet step in the hallway behind her.
“I’m going with you,” he said.
She faced him. He was dressed to leave, his dark eyes on her. Rania hesitated. For days, she’d largely avoided her husband as much as possible while they lived in the same house. Michael never pressed her, but her conscience was killing her.
“Sam’s orders,” he said with a small smile.
She held out her hand. Michael took it, and she resisted the urge to sink into his arms. She didn’t deserve to be comforted after all she’d put the family through lately. She took them to where Sam was.
The yeti stood a few feet away, as still as one of the trees. The night was cold, and magick sizzled in the air with intensity that made her bristle. She let go of her husband’s hand and set up wards around him to protect him.
“What’s going on, Sam?” she asked.
“It’s time.” Sam pointed.
Rania turned to face a familiar field near the school. She stepped closer to the natural ledge of a rocky spur jutting from the nearby mountains. It overlooked the clearing beside Miner’s Drop.
Autumn was in the clearing with Dawn and two Dark teens. Rania’s heart quickened as she realized what exactly Sam was talking about.
“Michael shouldn’t be here for this,” she said.
“Yes, he should,” Sam replied.
Rania looked at them, meeting her husband’s dark gaze. He was calm and steady, as always. He offered his hand. She shook her head and turned away. If things went as badly as she expected, she’d be headed down the same path as Decker, once Michael left her for destroying the lives of their kids.
“Whatever it is, you know I believe in you,” Michael said, approaching her.
“You don’t know what I’ve done, Michael,” she whispered. “You don’t know what it might cost us.”
“I figured most of it out.”
She didn’t dare look at him, terrified he really had.
“Beck dropping of a mystery girl he wasn’t sleeping with was the first clue. Her scars, the accident in Boise three months ago. The chain.”
“What chain?” she asked.
“The silver one. I gave it to you when you turned eighteen. The link patterns are for protection.”
Rania almost cursed aloud. Weeks ago, she’d dug through her jewelry box to find a chain for Autumn’s amulet. The worn, silver one jammed between the drawers had seemed unassuming. She should’ve noticed the draw of his earth magick guiding her to the chain. Hurried to return to the hospital before Autumn awoke, she hadn’t thought twice about the silver necklace.
“I love you, Rania, and I believe in our boys.”
She squeezed her eyes closed. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. She didn’t resist; instead, she rested against him. After all, it might be the last night his touch silenced the Darkness within her.
“We are watchers,” Sam seemed amused.
She glanced at him as he moved to stand beside Michael.
With Michael there, she felt as if her soul was stripped bare. Everything she’d risked the past few months, all the distance she’d been forced to put between herself and those she’d loved, every fear … he was about to discover everything. He knew part of the story and was going to learn how much damage she’d caused.
This was her day of judgment, and all she could do was watch.
The scene unfolded slowly. Not much happened for a few minutes. Rania studied Autumn’s slight shape, once again humbled by how far the girl had come and how strong she was to survive what she did. It gave Rania some hope, though not much when it was clear the three in the field meant to hurt Autumn. The girl wasn’t physically able to fight.
The night Autumn stayed at the cabin, Rania had stood over her bed for a long time, marveling and terrified. The girl touched both boys, and Rania had tried hard to figure out what her trial was going to be. Even now, she wasn’t certain.
Fury filled her as one of the teens hit Autumn, and she shifted. She had the power to help.
“You cannot interfere,” Sam reminded her.
“I know, Sam. I’ve done my part this whole time.” The anger in her voice was at herself, not him.
She watched with increasing unease as the three surrounded Autumn, with Dawn brandishing a knife. She gasped as Autumn blocked with air magick. Heart pounding, Rania began to think the girl was going to make it, if she’d figure out how to defend herself.
The four began to fight. Concerned, Rania tried to figure out what was going on, why the two Dark teens suddenly turned on Dawn. It wasn’t clear until Dawn’s magick lashed out at Autumn.
Rania felt the slap of a soul going bad. She pulled away from Michael, still affected by the instinct to silence the alarm that went off whenever a soul went Dark. Pacing, Rania kept her eyes on the field.
Decker was coming and bringing his madness with him. She shuddered, feeling her son’s magick as he materialized. A flash of black but also a flash of white. Rania froze as Beck appeared as well. Closing her eyes, she touched Decker’s mind.
Darkness. She didn’t sense her son at all. When she opened her eyes, Beck had stepped in front of the girls while Decker strode across the field towards him. Distraught, she faced the yeti.
“Sam,” she urged.
He said nothing, grave gaze on the clearing. Magick ripped through the air, the charge of both her boys readying themselves to fight.
Rania spun, unable to watch her sons kill each other. She had to act!
Michael grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She looked up at him, expecting him to condemn her. She tried to resist the affect his magick had on her, needing her anger to counter her terror.
“We can’t help them,” he said in his calm voice. His jaw was clenched and his eyes on his sons.
“I can!”
“No, Rania. This isn’t your battle.”
“It should be.”
“But it’s not,” he said, meeting her gaze.
Something within her broke. He was as scared as she was, but he looked at her with the same compassion and love he’d always held for her. He’d known what she was from the start. She didn’t know how he accepted what she’d done without question. She deserved nothing but his anger.
