I took a few steps forward to force the heat through the crowd. The girl with gemstone eyes called out. Her words were drowned by the raging fire until I focused on the sound of her voice.
“Where are you?”
I knew it made no sense for her to be talking to me, but my body turned toward her anyway. My eyes found her in an instant, like they were programmed to her like a GPS. I knew she wasn’t looking for me, but watching the relief in her face when her tall blonde friend gripped her hand twisted something inside of me.
“What’s happening?” the blonde friend cried. Even from ten feet away, I saw the tears pooling in her blue eyes.
“I…I…” the raven-haired beauty stuttered. Her gemstone eyes were clear of tears, but wide enough to see the white all the way around. Her shock dissolved into what I could only assume was concentration. She snapped her head back and forth, like she was looking for an escape. “I don’t know!”
But I knew exactly what was happening. The Fallen were preparing to materialize. This was just the pregame. Damn it, Tennessee. Focus. This is it. This is why you’re here. I didn’t know why this stranger had such an effect on me, and I didn’t have time to process it. I had a job to do, and if I screwed it up, the whole world would suffer…forever.
We only had one shot to close the Gap.
And we couldn’t do it if I failed this quest.
The air sizzled and snapped, a sound only a witch would hear. I unsheathed my sword from my hip holster and rolled to my toes. Be prepared for an attack? Yeah, I’m ready.
A loud noise like a freight train rumbled over my head. The bonfires towered into the sky, standing indestructible as sustained wind swept people off their feet and threw them away like tumbleweeds. I tightened my grip on my sword and leaned into the hurricane, my power keeping me upright without any effort. Any second now, the Fallen would show themselves.
A man with a furry tail strapped around his hips dropped to the ground and tried to crawl away, his fingers digging into the dirt. I stepped forward to help him, but a gust of wind got there first. It plucked him off the ground like he weighed no more than a feather and threw him right into the bonfire.
“No!” I sprinted forward, but I was too late. The flames had already claimed him. I cursed and summoned rain from the sky. I used my full strength of power and pulled water from the sky like a tsunami, like I’d busted the dam in the clouds. It was all I could do to combat the flames until the Fallen came out. But the fires blazed on unaffected.
“Come on! Show yourselves!” I shouted. I hated waiting. I loathed the helpless feeling pulling me under like a riptide.
I scanned my surroundings, searching for any sign of the tortured spirits, but all I found was mass panic and chaos. Partygoers latched on to each other to try and anchor themselves against the storm while others fled toward the forest like a wild stampede. The wind held strong, lifting people off the ground and soaring them through the air. I raised my hands and pushed as much power as I could at each person to shove them back to safety.
A bolt of lightning thicker than a tree trunk struck the dirt in front of me. White light flashed, and the earth exploded under impact. People were thrown into the air like volcanic ash. I ducked and dove out of the way, rolling into a somersault before landing back on my feet a few feet away. Shrieks of terror pierced my ears, but before I could turn toward the sound, a surge of wind slammed into the clearing hard enough that even I had to brace myself against its force.
Faster than a blink, every bonfire went out. There wasn’t a hint of smoke, like someone had flipped a switch on the flames. Not someone…the Fallen.
I stood straight and adjusted my grip on my sword hilt. This was it. The wind died. The fog lifted. The fires…vanished. Even the rain I summoned dried up. Everything was absolutely calm. Complete and utter silence. The quiet in the crowd was suffocating. I sensed their fear and knew they were too spooked to react. Once the firelight was gone, we were drenched in darkness, with only the hint of moonlight behind the receding clouds. I considered letting my power light me up so I could see the attack when it happened, but I knew better. The Sapiens would freak out, and more people would be injured. I’d have to let my other senses take over. Here we go.
A yellowish mist crept across the ground and swept over my feet like waves on the beach. The glowing fog crawled up my legs before blasting straight up into the sky.
This is it. I tensed my muscles, ready for battle. The pounding of my heart was only to push the adrenaline and power through my system. I was ready. This was what I was born to do. This was why the Goddess chose me as Emperor. I did not fear the Fallen, only failure.
The sound of drums erupted from every direction, like a marching band surrounded us. Each beat vibrated through the ground and into my bones. A low rumble started and grew louder into a chant until it sounded like we were on the fifty-yard line of a Florida State football game. I knew what happened next; every witch did. It’d been a century since it occurred, but it’d been well documented every time it had. It didn’t matter. I was ready.
“Show yourselves,” I growled with impatience.
Bright white light flashed from within the forest all around us, casting the pine trees in shadow and inching closer to the clearing. With every step closer, the light intensified. In my peripheral vision, I saw the crowd block their eyes from the glare, but my eyes were used to it. My own power glowed brighter from my body than this. The light shimmered and took form until the clearing was surrounded by the slaughtered tribe. Their translucent ghostly bodies glowed a soft white and almost looked like real, living humans once again.
The stories all said the chief would appear beneath the North Star, dressed in his ceremonial feathers and war paints. I’d made sure to be facing where he was supposed to show himself. I wanted to make my presence known to him.
The spirit rippled with orange mist until his identity took shape. His eyes may have been transparent and made of ether, but the haunted rage boiled within. He glanced around the crowd until his stare found mine.
I grinned. I actually grinned like a madman. I knew it wasn’t their fault what had happened to them, but it was my job now to vanquish their spirits back into rest.
The chief stomped his foot. Every spirit turned their livid eyes to me. The fury in their glares could’ve melted snow on the ground. They’d come for vengeance like the stories all said they would.
“Come and get me,” I whispered.
A loud chirping noise ripped through the circle, and the spirits took off. People screamed and dove to the ground. But the Fallen soared over their heads in my direction at the center of the clearing. I let me power fly free, igniting my body with glowing light. The humans would assume it came from the ghosts anyway. I bounced on my toes, gripping my sword and waiting for the right moment to strike. When the spirits were within a few feet, I sliced my sword through the air and threw it like a boomerang, cutting through ghostly guts with precision. I dropped to one knee, palmed the dirt, and sent my power trembling through the earth. Just like I expected, humans dropped to the ground and flattened like pancakes.
I glanced up and met the wide stares of six people on the other side of the clearing. They were the only humans left standing. Their gazes were hard and concerned, maybe a tad afraid…but not shocked. I stood and held my left arm out to the side. All six pairs of eyes latched on to my Mark for a second then returned to my face. When my sword slammed back into my palm, the six of them grinned like the Cheshire cat and sprinted toward me.
Faster than any human could’ve run, the six skidded to a stop in front of me.
“I knew you’d be here tonight when I saw you at school earlier, Emperor!” the smaller of the girls said with a timid smile.
The male closest to me bowed his head a little. “Emperor, tell us how to help?”
Emperor. They know what I am.
The weapons in their hands sparkled under my glowing body. Four males, two females…six witches. They
were about my age, probably all students at Edenburg. I was used to leading my fellow Cards, not regular witches. But I knew the humans in attendance needed all the help they could get.
“Split up and spread out. Do not engage the spirits unless they attack you or a human near you. I’ll deal with the rest. I need you to help get these humans to safety. Can you do that?”
Without hesitation or further question, they nodded and took off in a mad dash like they, too, had been trained for battle. They must’ve been part of the warrior class at Edenburg. I made a mental note to reach out to the school after all of this was over and find out who they were. But right now I had a job to do.
When I snapped back to attention, I spotted the chief standing twenty feet in front of me, right at the edge of the clearing. He cracked a crooked smile and raised his hand. Fog dropped from the sky like a blanket. Maniacal laughter crooned within the mist, and the chanting returned with growing insistence.
Listen for the vengeful Fallen's call.
Something was about to happen, and I wasn’t exactly sure what. But this was why I was here. The quest called for this. Spirits reformed from within the fog and lashed out at anything nearby. I leapt forward in attack, slicing and cutting my sword through their ghostly forms.
“Don’t let go of me,” a girl screamed, her voice trembling.
I didn’t recognize her voice, but when I followed the sound, I found three girls racing through the crowd. The one who yelled was a stranger, but I immediately recognized the shimmery blonde hair of the tall one beside her. My gaze moved to the third girl, the one in the middle gripping the other’s elbows. Her black hood slipped off her head. The dark hair could’ve been anyone’s, but my gut told me it was her. She glanced over her right shoulder. Her gemstone pale green eyes sparkled like diamonds in the dark.
Several spirits jumped toward the fleeing girls. I planted my weight and swung my sword like a baseball bat so it would curve and not hit the humans. It spiraled through the air, cutting through the spirits about to attack the girls. A smaller spirit flew out from within the trees and dove down. I frowned. Spirits didn’t fly, at least not the ones that used to be human. It looked like the Fallen tribe, but it couldn’t have been one. In a flash, it dropped down and grabbed the jungle cat by her black hoodie and lifted her into the air.
Chapter Twelve
“NO!” Not her! I yanked my dagger from within my boot and threw it as hard as I could.
The hematite blade shot like an arrow through the black sky. My power made the weapon glow brighter than lightning. My heart climbed up my throat, threatening to jump right out of my body. I wanted to move, to run toward her and peel her from the spirit’s ghostly grip…but my body locked in place.
In the time it took me to throw my dagger, her two blonde friends had jumped up and grabbed a hold of her. They clung to her right leg and wiggled their bodies like they were trying to pull her back down. It was a gallant effort, but now all three were dangling above the ground.
“We’ve got you,” the tall friend with short sandy blonde hair yelled, even though they really didn’t have her at all.
“Let her go!” the other friend, this one with long golden hair cried up to the spirit.
All of this happened with my dagger soaring through the air. Any second, it would hit. At least I hoped it would. I never missed. Please don’t let this be the time I miss. I knew I should’ve followed through and chased them down. Hell, the two human girls didn’t have enough power to bring them down but I did. So why wasn’t I moving? Why didn’t my body respond to my order? Adrenaline pumped through my veins, and my fingers trembled. My heart tried to claw out of my chest. Is this fear?
“We need!” The spirit cackled. It wiggled its claws, and both blondes dropped to the ground.
Wait…claws? I focused on what should’ve been human hands and instead found claws like a giant eagle. That is not a spirit. I cursed. It was a demon in disguise.
My body came alive, snapping to attention. I gritted my teeth and sprinted toward them, racing across the clearing. It seemed like I was stuck in a nightmare. No matter how far or fast I pumped my legs, I felt like I was crawling. I knew I was practically flying. I knew my power better than my own brain. I knew by the glare shining in my eyes, the wind brushing over my face, and the tingle in my toes that Royce would’ve questioned my humanity had he been there. Still, the world passed by me in a blur. Only the sight of her studded combat boots dangling in the air and the sound of my racing heart registered in my mind.
My dagger slammed into the demon’s back like a bolt of lightning. It screeched and exploded into a ball of white light. All around us, the clearing sparkled like a disco ball before the demon disintegrated back to its dimension. The girl dropped from the sky, free falling like a missile toward the ground. I summoned every ounce of power and propelled forward, jumping over her two friends who’d already fallen. I reached out…and caught her body in the cradle of my arms.
I exhaled and relief sucked the blood from my face. I looked down and met her wide, pale green stare. I wasn’t sure when her arms wrapped around my neck, but I didn’t want her to move. A sharp burn laced through my chest like I’d been holding my breath. I must’ve looked down to her parted lips because they curved slightly in the corners, and a rich blush filled her cheeks. My breath caught in my throat. She was beautiful. Breathtaking. A gorgeous flare in the middle of madness. In that moment, it all made sense. Every doubt I ever had. I knew why I’d never been interested in any of the girls back home, because they never made me feel…this.
I didn’t know how long I stood there with her warm body cradled in my arms and her face inches from mine, but when it dawned on me, my face flushed and I lowered my right arm. Her feet dropped to the ground. She gripped the front of my black shirt and hauled herself closer to my chest. All of the air in my lungs evaporated. I gripped her waist for support. I opened my mouth to say something to her, anything, except no words came out.
There was movement behind her. Panicked energy tickled the back of my neck.
“Guys, over here!” the tall blonde friend shouted from behind the beauty in my arms.
The other girl with long blonde hair ran up and grabbed her elbows, yanking her out of my grip. “Let’s go!”
One second the jungle cat was pressed against my chest, and the next second a cold draft brushed over me and she was ten feet away. Her friends dragged her by the elbows toward the edge of the clearing. I moved to follow them when a hand gripped my bicep and pulled. I snarled and spun with my fist balled and ready to fight. I raised my left hand and summoned my dagger. It answered without hesitation. The black crystal hit my palm and electricity sparked.
The guy in front of me paled, dropped his hand, and jumped backward. “Whoa, hello. Sorry, Emperor. Sorry, just me. Don’t kill me.”
The witch from earlier, the one who’d asked how he could help. I sighed and lowered my weapon. “I’m sorry. It’s dangerous to sneak up on me.” I flexed my fingers out of the fist. The urge to turn and run after the girl was overwhelming, yet I pushed it back.
“Noted. Definitely noted.” He nodded and scratched the back of his short brown hair. I hadn’t really paid any attention to what he looked like before, but now I noticed he wasn’t much shorter than myself. He seemed to be fit, and the mohawk told me he had quite a bit of confidence. His hazel eyes bounced around the area, cutting back over to me every other second. “Sorry, Emperor.”
I cringed. “You don’t have to call me that. Please, my name is Tennessee.” I held my left hand out for him to shake.
“Honor to meet you, Tennessee. I’m Warner.” His voice was strong and steady, but I didn’t miss the way his fingers shook. “The spirits have gone, as I’m sure you noticed. Is there anything else we can do to help?”
They’re gone? I frowned and looked around the clearing for the first time since the spirits arrived. Sure enough, the place was a ghost town, no pun intended. Each of the bonfire pits
were nothing but black logs, and the snack section looked like a bomb had gone off. There were no signs of any supernatural activity. The spirits had vanished. No other demons moved where I could see. The moon had brightened, and the stars twinkled against a black sky. Off in the distance, the other five witches patrolled the area like they, too, were surprised the battle ended so fast. Humans still scrambled around, some worse for the wear.
I cleared my throat. “Can you guys escort the humans back to their cars? We need to get them off this mountain by any means necessary. If any of them are rattled by what they saw, call Timothy Roth in Eden and he’ll help you out. Tell him I sent you.”
“We’re on it. Don’t worry.” Warner nodded and started to back away, but then he paused. “You know, Tennessee… I know you were at Edenburg today, but you should come back by tomorrow. There’s a lot of people who’d love to meet you.”
I smiled, or at least I hoped it was a smile. There were too many emotions warring inside me. “I’ll see what I can do. Thanks again for your help, Warner.”
Without another word, I spun back around to look for the jungle cat…but she was gone. Not a single person, human or witch, stood between me and the forest. My heart sank. The whole night had gone to hell. I wasn’t supposed to have any help and had wound up with six assistants. I definitely wasn’t supposed to devote all of my attention on a girl… I glanced at the spot they’d disappeared through. Maybe if I ran after them now, I could catch up? I was faster. Damn it, Tennessee.
I’d come here with one job—find the clue to help close the Gap. To mend the bond between them all, listen for the vengeful Fallen’s call. Well, I heard their call, and then I watched a demon try to kidnap a human. It wasn’t unheard of by any means, though it was strange behavior. I had so many questions, and the only person who had any hope of answering them had died in my arms. I had no clue, no answer to the quest. Did I really just fail?
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