‘Because I can’t.’
‘It has to do with Tol again, doesn’t it?’ Blue guessed.
‘Shh!’ Dino hissed again.
‘Then tell me!’
Dino raked his hands through his hair and sighed. After a moment of silent deliberation, he pushed his book aside and leaned forward in his chair. ‘It is about Tol,’ he admitted. ‘But you can’t go shouting that around, OK? This guy is serious.’
‘I won’t say a word,’ Blue reassured him.
Dino took a deep breath. ‘I saw him again. Last night. And I was right – he is trying to get to my sister.’
Blue’s nose twitched nervously.
‘He’s given me an ultimatum,’ Dino went on. ‘It’s me or her.’
‘You or her for w-what?’
‘He wants me in his coven.’
Blue swallowed. ‘Hunters?’
‘Yep. Now I need to know whether being a Hunter is really that bad…’
‘Yes,’ Blue cut him off, ‘it is that bad. You’re n-not a Hunter; you’re an Arcana.’
‘Am I?’ Dino questioned. ‘Because Tol seemed to think I was a born Hunter.’ At the mention of Tol’s name, Dino’s voice reduced to an almost inaudible level.
‘You’re not a Hunter!’ Blue protested. ‘Why w-would you believe anything h-he has to say?’
‘Argh!’ Dino slouched back in his chair, defeated. ‘I hate this.’ In the shadow, his hair and eyes appeared even darker than usual – more Hunter-like.
Blue picked up a book from Dino’s pile and began skimming through the pages. ‘There’s got to be something in here to deflect him. He can’t threaten you like that.’
‘He can, and he is,’ Dino responded glumly. ‘And there’s nothing in these damn books that can help me. It doesn’t seem like it’s all that common for a Hunter to recruit an Arcana.’
‘It isn’t,’ Blue agreed. ‘So why does he want you?’
‘I don’t know.’ Dino shrugged helplessly. ‘Maybe he needs my power to complete his coven?’
‘But you’re not the only Sententia around here.’
‘He thinks I’m a Hunter. Maybe I am…’
‘You’re not! What about s-speaking to Wendolyn? Maybe she can help.’
Dino shook his head. ‘No. Tol made it crystal clear that, if I start talking, he’d start killing.’ His stomach lurched at the thought.
‘Then we n-need more t-time to find a way around it,’ Blue reasoned. ‘There’s got to be a way to stop…’
His sentence was interrupted by the strained moan of the library door. Wendolyn swept into the room, her long white hair flowing loosely over her apple-green dress.
‘Time for lights out,’ she told the boys.
Dino glanced at his watch. It’s only ten o’clock! he thought irritably. At home he had no bedtime or curfew at all.
But without debate Dino returned the books to the shelves and extinguished the flickering candles.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Blue once Wendolyn was out of earshot, ‘you’ll be safe here tonight. Tomorrow we’ll come up with a plan.’
They left the library and trudged along the narrow dark-wood hallway.
‘I hope so,’ Dino muttered under his breath.
‘It’ll be OK,’ Blue promised him.
Their conversation simmered as they ascended the staircase. There was nothing more to say. Tol had Dino in checkmate, and finding a way out was a bleak hope.
In the upstairs hallway, the boys went their separate ways. Nodding a quick goodbye to Blue, Dino quietly slunk into his bedroom. The lights were out, leaving only the moonlight streaming in through the window as a guide.
‘Mia?’ Dino called out in a stage whisper.
A muffled response came from behind her bed curtains.
Dino took a step closer and peeked through a gap in the curtains. Mia was curled up beneath the blankets, waves of brown hair fanned out over the pillow and her eyes barely open.
‘What is it?’ she mumbled sleepily.
‘Nothing,’ Dino replied, his voice dropping to a low murmur. He touched her head with his forefingers. ‘I love you, OK?’
Mia opened her eyes and Dino realised that he had never said those words to her before.
‘OK,’ she said softly. ‘I love you, too.’
‘I know.’ Dino stepped back. ‘Goodnight,’ he said as he retreated to his own bed. Not anticipating sleep, he lay on top of the covers, fully clothed. How could he sleep when all he could think about was Tol and the terrifying decision ahead of him?
Dino lay on his bed for almost two hours before something alien entered his subconscious.
‘Come to me,’ a voice said, so sleek and commanding that it was impossible to ignore. Mesmerised and unaware of his actions, Dino rose from his bed and strode out of the room.
‘Come to me,’ the voice chanted over and over again. Hypnotically, it drew Dino out of the castle and across the grounds towards the forest. It was an unmistakable voice; it was the voice of Tol.
Dino walked over the cut grass, trampling the flower beds unseeingly. The midnight sky was clouded with a purple fog that had swallowed up the stars.
He descended the embankment, but did not head directly into the forest. Instead he walked along the edge of the forest mist, never quite venturing through it. He walked for miles until eventually the mist dissolved away. Only then did Dino step into the forest.
The moment he crossed the boundaries, Tol was upon him.
‘How lovely to see you,’ Tol sneered. His tongue flickered in and out of his mouth as he eyed Dino eagerly.
The uncut sound of Tol’s voice jolted Dino out of his trance.
In confusion, Dino glanced around at the pine cage he now found himself in. How did I get here? he wondered in alarm. He distantly remembered walking – remembered the simple motion of the act – but he could not for the life of him fathom why he had done it.
‘I called for you,’ Tol said, unwittingly responding to Dino’s thoughts, ‘and I think you will be glad you came.’ His beady eyes bore into Dino malevolently. ‘It is time you see who you truly are.’
Out of the trees, two other shadowed men emerged. They surfaced from the darkness as though they had materialised out of thin air. Both men were of a similar robust build, and both were shrouded in dark robes which covered all but their gaunt, skeleton-like faces. They circled Dino with a heavy yet weightless stride.
‘Step forward,’ Tol ordered Dino.
But Dino stood unmoving, frozen to the spot – half out of obstinacy, and half out of fear.
Tol locked eyes with him. ‘Step forward,’ he repeated in a spellbinding murmur.
This time, Dino had no control over his legs, he had to obey. He stepped on to a triangular symbol that had been scratched into the parched soil.
The two robed men continued to circle him with cruel leers on their hollow faces.
Dino drew in an urgent breath as the symbol began to morph and mould around his feet. It clamped him to the spot and sent a torrent of electricity through his body.
At first he cried out in pain, but as the current worked its way along his arms and out to his fingertips, the sensation became less of a pain and more of a pleasure.
Tol salivated. ‘Do you feel that power?’
‘Yes,’ Dino whispered.
‘It’s waiting for you,’ Tol encouraged him menacingly. ‘Take it.’
Dino looked down at his hands in terrified awe. His fingers trembled and glowed a vibrant yellow-black, the colour of a bruise.
‘Become us!’ Tol roared. His fierce voice reverberated among the trees.
‘No!’ Dino choked. The flow of electricity inside of him started to burn. It became too hot for him to bear. He let out a cry.
Enraged, Tol slammed the palm of his hand down against the ground. On command, the symbol released its hold, sending Dino toppling forwards on to the forest floor.
‘We are running out of time,’ Tol growled to the other two me
n. ‘We must change him before he belongs to the Arcana.’
‘But he is resisting,’ one of the shadowed men snarled.
Dino caught a glimpse of the man. He was the taller of the two, with milky eyes and sharp rotten teeth.
Tol stared at Dino where he lay broken on the ground. ‘He is tempted,’ Tol judged. ‘The power has flowed through his veins, and soon he will crave it. Then he will surrender.’
All three men turned to Dino, tearing him apart with their eyes.
With his heart racing, Dino sprung to his feet and fled from the forest, running at full pelt to escape the nightmare.
‘Bring him back!’ the second cloaked man shouted.
‘No!’ Tol stopped them in a toxic voice. ‘We cannot take him unless he is willing. But we still have time. His allegiance is undecided, and eventually he will come to us.’
‘How?’ the man questioned irately. ‘You cannot force him to turn.’
‘No, but I have his blood,’ Tol reminded them. ‘I can call to him every night, infecting him with the dark power. And you’re forgetting – I’m part Sententia, too. I can plant feelings of desire and yearning in his mind, and he will believe that the thoughts are his own.’
‘It had better work,’ the taller of the two men scowled. ‘We’ve waited too long to lose him now.’
Tol cackled. ‘We won’t lose him. He’s already ours.’
Chapter Eleven
Brotherhood
As the weeks passed by, Mia resolved herself to developing her Tempestus power. She hadn’t seen Colt since the day in the graveyard. And she missed him.
During their last conversation, Colt had told her that he could no longer meet with her. But she had presumed, after her sacrifice of blood, that things had changed between them. It certainly had seemed that way at the time. Not now though. Now she was left feeling abandoned and forgotten.
True to her word, she heeded his warning to steer clear of the forest. However, it didn’t stop her from returning to the graveyard every day, in the hope that he would eventually appear. But he never did.
On the bright side, Mia’s unaccompanied days proved to be a valuable asset in her quest to develop her powers. She often found herself alone in the solitude of nature, the ideal setting to engage and explore her abilities. Sometimes she would sit beneath the wind chimes for hours, channelling the breeze to sway them back and forth and play a soothing melody. She felt connected to everything and wonderfully at peace. Of course, she could not quite match Colt’s skills yet.
But even with her new-found sense of serenity, she constantly dwelled on Colt’s absence. Questions flooded her troubled mind. Where was he? Had he been hurt? Or was it simply a case of him not caring enough to find her?
One sunny Wednesday afternoon she decided to take matters into her own hands. On a whim, she plucked a catkin from the willow tree. She nursed the little flower in her hand as she headed for the embankment. Taking a seat on the grassy ridge, Mia looked down on the forest. There it stood, dark and mysterious as always, hidden behind a veil of mist.
Mia opened out her hand. The catkin sat in her palm, awaiting its task.
‘Go to Colt,’ Mia whispered to the dainty flower. And with a gentle breath, she blew on it.
The catkin lifted and soared, floating effortlessly on the summer’s breeze. Mia watched in admiration as it dutifully followed its course and vanished into the labyrinth of the forest.
That was that. The message to Colt had been sent. Now, all she could do was wait for a response – and what better place to wait than Spangles’ grave?
Satisfied with her plan, Mia rose to her feet and trotted to the graveyard. The familiar wind chimes welcomed her with their tuneful greeting. She strolled beneath them and took her place at Spangles’ stone, situating herself comfortably on the spongy moss. Her heart began to flutter with a mixture of nerves and excitement.
Any minute now, she thought breathlessly.
But, as the minutes turned to hours, Mia had to face the reality that Colt wasn’t coming. She remained at the gravestone regardless, disheartened yet patiently steadfast all the same.
As she sat alone, she couldn’t help but remember his harsh words to her.
‘He will never reciprocate,’ she murmured aloud.
And yet still she did not leave her post.
She touched the ground where Colt had once lain. Now, he merely seemed like a figment of her imagination. Maybe that was all he’d ever been.
Sadly, Mia began to feel the pain of her loss, and her loneliness. She had never known feelings like this before: they were intense and true, and had been awakened from a part of her soul which up until now had lain dormant. It was as though she and Colt had been destined to meet. As if their story had already been foretold. One thing was for certain – an inexplicable force had drawn her to him. Perhaps it was the power they shared, or perhaps it was beyond that. But now he was gone. And somewhere deep in her heart, she feared that he would not return.
It began to rain.
The little catkin brushed against Colt’s leg and dropped to the forest floor. Colt recognised it instantly. The scent ghosting it was so intoxicating that it would have been impossible to mistake.
Hesitantly, he lifted the catkin from among the foliage and embraced it in his hand.
He sucked in his breath sharply. He had been dreading this moment. The moment in which she’d summon him. He wanted to ignore it, but how could he? She had been calling to him for weeks – he’d felt it – and it was sheer torture. And now, to see her message in front of his very eyes, as clear as day, was the ultimate temptation.
Why am I not stronger? he scolded himself.
A wallop to the back of his head sent him hurtling into a thick tree trunk.
‘Colt!’ Lotan barked. ‘Your mind is elsewhere! Get yourself together.’
Colt staggered to his feet, the catkin still cocooned safely in his hand. ‘Minor error,’ he said aloofly. ‘I lost concentration for a moment.’
Lotan narrowed his raven-black eyes. ‘There is no room for error, minor or otherwise. Not with the intruder Hunter coven on our land.’
Lotan’s nostrils flared. ‘The girl,’ he said, picking up the scent that lingered in the travelling breeze.
Colt tilted his head, his expression deliberately unreadable.
‘Does she seek you?’ Lotan demanded.
‘No,’ Colt lied.
Lotan bared his teeth, angry at Mia’s continuing intrusion into his tight-knit coven. ‘If one of us is not alert, then the whole coven will fall,’ he warned Colt.
‘I am alert,’ Colt retorted with confident swagger.
‘She will destroy you,’ Lotan muttered resentfully, ‘if you let her.’
‘Forget the girl,’ Colt said briskly. ‘Yes, she requests my assistance, but I’m undisturbed, and eventually she’ll grow tired of trying.’
‘She affects you,’ Lotan accused.
Colt laughed lightly. ‘She doesn’t affect me! She is simply a temporary inconvenience.’
‘If she poses such an inconvenience to you, then perhaps I should kill her,’ Lotan suggested casually.
Colt cleared his throat. ‘Kill her if you wish,’ he said. ‘But be sure to have good reason, or else Wendolyn will banish us from the castle. All of us.’
‘I will take her if she steps foot on to our territory again. That is permitted.’ Lotan eyed his friend. ‘But, as you know, Colt, she has somehow managed to deflect my Enticement.’ If he suspected Colt of interfering, he certainly would not say so out loud.
Colt didn’t reply. What he had done had been the highest form of treason. To go behind the back of one of his coven was punishable by death.
‘Although,’ Lotan went on, ‘there are other ways in which I can draw her in.’
‘Why bother?’ Colt snapped. ‘She’s no threat. Need we continue with this inane conversation when there are more crucial matters at hand? A rival coven is closing in on our terrain, and you
r concerns are with a harmless girl.’
‘My concerns are with you!’ Lotan retorted.
‘Well, I’m at a loss as to why that would be,’ Colt grumbled. ‘It’s not my fault that she calls to me.’
Lotan met his stare. ‘Her calls are the least of my worries. Her influence is what troubles me most, brother.’
Colt chuckled pleasantly. He strolled away with a blasé gait. ‘You think I’m not able?’ he challenged Lotan. ‘If that is the case, then I defy you to test me. Command our coven to track me and contain me; use it as a training exercise. Put them all on me, yourself included. And then congratulate me when I do not falter.’ He leapt several metres up into a tree to add to the drama of his statement.
Lotan smiled reluctantly. ‘I think your arrogance is your fatal flaw, Colt.’
Colt sat haughtily on a sturdy tree branch, his legs dangling over the edge. ‘You know that I’m unsurpassed,’ he smirked, looking down upon Lotan. ‘A nuisance girl would never side-track me from my duty to the coven.’
‘Unsurpassed?’ Lotan repeated, his tone brightening. ‘I believe you like to think you’re unsurpassed, but you’re still a far cry from me! That is why I lead and you follow, brother,’ he teased.
Colt grinned. ‘Is that so?’ he replied in jest. ‘Perhaps one day you and I should duel,’ he mused. ‘Pit ourselves against one another and see who fairs best.’
‘Ha!’ Lotan laughed robustly.
‘Ha, indeed,’ Colt returned with a wry smile. He dropped down from the tree branch, pouncing to the ground and disturbing a cluster of dry leaves.
‘Move yourself, Colt,’ Lotan ordered, giving him a hearty clip around the ear. ‘I want the entire perimeter covered by nightfall.’
‘Well, seeing as though you asked so nicely…’ Colt smiled at the pleasure of using Mia’s very words.
‘Go, boy!’ Lotan exclaimed.
Colt sped off through the trees, faster than any human or animal. He returned his focus to his role as a Hunter – because it would have been perilous not to.
The hours passed slowly and Colt did what was required of him. He guarded and secured the forest boundaries like a lion defending its lair. But all the while he clutched the catkin in his palm, grateful for its company.
The Witches of the Glass Castle Page 14
