I struggled to sit up, but Daphne began dragging me by my hair toward an old aboveground vault. Where the hell were Liz and Danielle?
I willed myself to forget the pain and concentrate on my power. I felt the talisman pulsating in my pocket—that was not good! But I continued on, praying for the power of God’s light and the strength of my ancestors to pull me through. I closed my eyes and felt the familiar sensation of my magic rising within me just as my head hit something solid.
When I opened my eyes, I was in a darkened tomb and I could hear Danny, Liz and Danielle shouting my name. Marcus stumbled in behind me, nearly falling on his head. All at once my power came forth and my body levitated from the floor, bathed in blue and white light.
That was new, but I didn’t dare question it. I held onto my power like a lifeline and blasted Marcus out the door where his body fell lifeless to the ground. Daphne ran screaming past me as I descended to the concrete floor, my body still aglow. I strode toward her while she lay over Marcus attempting to revive him.
My voice was not my own. “You have sinned against God and defied your ancestors. All that you once were will be no more.” My hands shot forward, encircling her in a majestic light. Her body went limp and silently rose from the ground, then black tendrils of dark magic radiated from her pores in a matter of moments. Remnants of black magic turned to what looked like ash in the air and disappeared in the breeze. Then all at once, she was gracefully placed back on the ground where she fell into a deep sleep next to Marcus.
Liz and Danny were standing nearby watching wide-eyed having no idea what just happened. If I were being honest, neither did I. My only guess was that God’s power had taken over and He had rendered His judgment.
I walked over toward them and said it was done. It was time to go home. Daphne was left just as Francesca, a human shell—she could no longer harm another as far as I knew.
Mom, Genevieve, Danielle and the hybrids came rushing over wanting to know what had happened and Danny filled them in. I was too exhausted. I was ready to go home and take a nice long soak in the bath.
Just as we were leaving I saw a dark shadow pass along the tree line, but I wasn’t sure what it could be. Roger maybe? But he was left with nothing now that his friends were incapacitated, so I just shrugged it off. He could wait for another day. For now, we needed to get home, secure that damn talisman and save Harold. My soak would have to wait for later, I decided.
Chapter 12
Once we arrived back at the house, everyone was elated that the worst was nearly over. Mom called Catherine and gave her the news.
While Mom was on the phone, I pulled Danielle to the side. “What had you looking off while we were in the cemetery?” I asked her.
“You really don’t want to know, but I think it might have been Marcus and Daphne’s sons. They were so close and kept watching us,” she replied. “It was freakin’ creepy.”
“Maybe that was the dark shadow I saw when we were leaving the cemetery,” I said.
“Huh? And you’re just now saying something?”
“Well, I didn’t think it was a big deal, especially if it was Roger. He has no one now. But if it’s the lost spirits of their kids, then damn.”
“Yeah, you’ll have to be on the lookout and send them across the veil if they show up,” she said, as she walked toward the kitchen.
This was not good. Not good at all. We had left Daphne’s body there in a shroud of magic. Sure, she was alive, but who knew what Roger could do with the spirits of John and Wayne Carter if they were lingering around the cemetery? Double damn. How was it that I didn’t see them, though? I’d have to think about it later after we warded the talisman and rescued Harold.
I decided to hand over the talisman to Mom so she could secure it. After all, she was the most powerful witch that I knew and I didn’t want to take a chance on anyone else getting their hands on it. We’d been through too much in getting it back. I hoped we could bury the damned thing for good someday. It had caused our family nothing but heartache and pain. I was over it.
Mom was in the greenhouse preparing protection potions for our trip into Delphine’s illusion. She said she wanted to add an extra layer of protection to be able to pull us out if we were in danger. Genevieve decided to stay and help just in case the situation warranted it.
It was going to be a simple spell where Danny, Liz, Danielle and I held onto the talisman and willed ourselves into the illusion. It hadn’t been done before without being in a sleep state, but we had an extra boost of magic and we bonded our powers again, just in case. This way, there would no issues when it came time to break the illusion and get the hell outta Dodge.
Once the potions were ready, Mom and Genevieve passed them around the kitchen. I was reading over the spell one final time to commit it to memory and wanted to make sure everyone knew what to do. Mom had placed heavy wards on the talisman and the house, ensuring that no outside dark forces could enter. I only hoped they held up this time. We had no idea what Roger was up to, but I decided to keep him out of my head and concentrate on the task at hand.
We decided the best place to perform the spell would be the attic. After a quick lunch, we drank our potions and headed upstairs.
“Are you ready?” I asked Danny.
“More than ready.” He pulled me in for a kiss.
“All right, you two. That’s enough. We can celebrate when this is over,” Danielle teased.
I gave her a side glance and kissed him again.
Liz snickered and so did Mom.
“All right, kids. Let’s get started,” Mom said, grinning. “Genevieve has placed the candles in a protective circle. Take your places.”
We were so excited to get this done and over with. In and out. That was the plan. Distract Delphine long enough to grab Harold, break the illusion and run. I only hoped it worked out as planned. I wouldn’t mind cutting her head off again, to be honest. Even if it did reattach itself.
“Okay, Liz and I will blast her with magic while Danny and Danielle untie Harold and run. Once he’s free, we break the illusion. Everybody ready?” I asked, looking around for confirmation.
“Yep. We’re all set,” Danielle said.
“Same here,” Liz agreed.
“You know it.” Danny kissed my cheek.
“All right. Light your candles, then we place our hands on the talisman at the same time,” I said, lighting my candle with my fingertip.
“Ready? Now.”
Once we touched the talisman, we were thrown into the illusion. I looked around for everyone. All accounted for. “Hold hands. We can’t get lost in here, okay?” I said.
They grabbed each other’s hands and followed me into the double doors. It was exactly the same, except eerily quiet, with traces of dark magic lingering in the air. I could taste it. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath, then walked through the foyer to the spiral staircase. We took the stairs to the long hallway, but something seemed off. I didn’t hear or feel Delphine in the mansion as I normally did. Maybe she was hiding or waiting to attack.
I stopped and looked behind me. “Watch your backs. Something is different. She could be anywhere. Have your magic at the ready,” I told them.
We continued walking down the long creepy hallway until we came upon the old bedroom door where Harold had been. I turned and held up my right hand, motioning for them to wait.
I peeked my head around the corner and saw Harold sitting in the same chair looking almost lifeless. He was barely breathing. I looked back and told everyone to move in.
We went straight to Harold. Danny untied him from the chair and tried to wake him; he was unconscious, but alive. Where the hell was Delphine? I only felt traces of her magic, but she was nowhere to be found. There was no way she could’ve escaped the talisman. Liz and I were still alive and we destroyed any chance she had of gaining a host body. I didn’t understand.
Danny hefted Harold over his shoulders. We didn’t have time to worry about Del
phine and decided it was time to leave. Liz and I concentrated on our magic and created a barrier spell to break the illusion. We ran toward the double doors and Danielle yelled out.
“What is it?” I asked, looking behind me as we opened the door to into the foggy nothingness.
“Look up,” she said.
When I did, a black swirling vortex was descending upon us. Holy shit! “What the hell is that thing? Another part of her illusion? Maybe that’s why she wasn’t in there. Run!” I shouted.
We ran as fast as our legs could carry us, the wind roaring violently, shredding the foggy sky into two halves. On one side it was a black void and on the other it seemed to be sucking everything in its wake, including the mansion. It was becoming harder to run, but we pushed ourselves until we came upon the door to our attic. Danielle threw it open and Danny fell through holding Harold. I was holding onto Liz, but the wind was pulling me back.
“Abby! No!” Danielle cried, clasping Liz’s hand, attempting to pull us both through the door.
I held on for dear life, having no idea what was going on. I was terrified that this was the end. That I would die in Delphine’s damn illusion. The next thing I knew, strong arms gripped me from behind and my legs flew out from beneath me and Danny dragged me through the door. Liz slammed the door shut behind me.
“What in the actual hell was that?” I asked, panting, trying to catch my breath. I just sat my ass on the floor.
Mom ran to me. “The illusion—it’s gone. I don’t know how, but it’s been destroyed. What did you four do?” she asked, looking me over from head to toe.
Genevieve was healing Harold while Danny stood watch.
“What do you mean, it’s been destroyed?” I asked, eyes wide. “We just saved Harold. Delphine didn’t even show her face.”
“Oh dear,” Mom ran her hands through her sliver-streaked black hair.
“Will someone please explain to me what just happened?” Liz asked, getting irritated. “We were almost sucked into a black hole.”
“I second that,” Danielle said, sitting next to me on the floor.
“If Delphine is not in the illusion,” Mom began, “that means she is no longer in the talisman.” She sighed, taking a weary breath.
I jumped to my feet. “But that’s impossible, Mamma. I’ve had that talisman on me all day!” Then I sunk back down to the floor.
“What, Abby? What happened?” Danielle asked, looking at me like I’d grown three heads.
I scrubbed my hand over my face. “When Daphne was dragging me to that tomb, the talisman was in my pocket and I felt it pulsating, but no one touched it. As a matter of fact, she was stripped of her powers. I don’t understand,” I said, looking around the room.
Harold sat up and gasped. “Dad! You’re all right,” Danny said, then hugged him tight. “I thought we might lose you.”
“What’s going on, son?” he said, looking around the attic.
“It’s a long story and we’ll explain later, but right now you need to rest,” Danny told him.
Liz interrupted. “Mom. Sorry, Danny. How is Delphine out of that talisman? And by whom?”
“I have no idea. Someone must have been in the cemetery today,” she answered.
“The dark shadow,” I said to Danielle.
“Yep.”
Danny and Genevieve helped Harold to his feet. “Harold, please make yourself at home. You may stay in our guest room until you’re feeling better,” Mom said, looking up at him.
“Thank you, Jaqueline. I appreciate your kindness. Maybe after I eat something you can explain why my memories are spotty and what the hell just happened here,” he said, heading for the door.
“Absolutely,” Mom agreed.
A blinding green light shone in the attic, just outside the circle. I covered my eyes for a moment until it dimmed long enough to see a female shape take form. Maniacal laughter rang out through the room.
The Red Witch—impossible! Her powers were stripped! “I’ll be taking this,” she said, picking up the talisman from the floor and clasping it around her neck.
“How the hell are you here? You were stripped of your powers?” I stood and shouted, lunging for her.
She raised her right hand, sending me to the floor on my ass.
“Oh, Abigail. When will you ever learn? You may have stripped Daphne of her powers, but you gave them to me and a host as well.”
I sat back in shock. That was why the talisman pulsed in my pocket. I was looking at freakin’ Delphine. She had escaped her prison.
“You won’t win, Marie. We will stop you,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Catch me if you can.” She cackled and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
We sat there in stunned silence. How had this happened? I didn’t think it was possible. She had killed Daphne to escape and pulled from the magic in the cemetery. What had I done? Was it my fault?
“Mom?” I looked to her, stunned.
“The premonition and your father’s warning have come to pass,” she said, hanging her head.
“Fine. If it’s a fight she wants, then it’s a fight she’ll get. This time, she goes down for good,” I said, looking around the room. “She won’t have a talisman to escape to, just the fiery pits of hell where she belongs.”
Danny pulled me into a tight hug and kissed my hair. He and everyone in the room vowed to fight Delphine. She was on our turf now. There was no turning back. We would fight to the death.
The End… For now.
About the Author
I’m a wife to a wonderful man named, Jason, and Mommy to the greatest miracle God could’ve ever blessed me with. As a retired Navy Chief living in Kentucky, I spend most of my days either writing, editing, reading or all three. (Less reading these days.)
I’m so grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way. My character inspirations come from friends and family. Abby was created from a much younger version of myself (my alter ego) and Liz was inspired from my little sister, Elizabeth. Danielle, well, she’s herself in real life, minus the ghost and witchy business. Gotta love her! My childhood friend inspired that character. Danny is my dream book boyfriend. Sorry hubby! You’re gorgeous and I love you!
Jaqueline (Mom) is so much like my own mother in some of the things that she says. I laugh thinking about her when my characters come to life in the story.
The other characters are products of my imagination, but no less real to me. I’m sad to say that Book Three will be the final installment of the Delphine Rising series, but look for a lot of these characters to crossover into the Hybrid Coven series.
If you enjoyed reading my book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. As a new author, every little bit helps. Reviews are our lifeblood and lets us know how we’re doing and if we need to improve. I appreciate each and every one of you and thank you for reading my books.
More works by this author:
Winds of Change (Delphine Rising Book 0.5)
Raging Inferno (Delphine Rising Book 1)
Marked by a Vampire (The Hybrid Coven Book 1)
Magic Unleashed (Delphine Rising Book 2)
Legends and Heroes (War of the Gods)
Mated by Magic (The Hybrid Coven Book 2) – coming soon.
Touched by a Vampire – Coming soon.
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Magic Unleashed (Delphine Rising Book 2) Page 14
