Magic of Flesh and Bone, page 17
A ring sounded from my phone, and I fished it out of my bag. A number I didn’t recognize flashed on the screen. “Hello?” I answered cautiously.
“Katrina, it’s your mother.”
“You okay? You sound different. What’s going on?” My chest tightened, and I was surprised at my reaction. Just went to show how easily one’s perception can change.
“I’ve got it,” she said, speaking fast. “The proof. I have it all. You need to come. Quickly before he finds me.”
My heart slammed in my chest. “Can you come to Aunt Luna’s house?”
“No,” said my mother, though I could barely hear her. “I can’t leave. They’ll see me.”
They? So Algar was still there. “So, how do I get in without them seeing me?”
“The back door to the kitchen is unlocked. I’ll be there.”
The line went dead.
“Who was that?” asked Annette, coming closer.
I slipped my phone into my bag. “My mother.” I glanced at Luther. “You’re going to get that proof. Tonight.”
“From your mother,” said Luther, and by the way he said it, it seemed as though he already knew that my family was involved with The Forsaken. Maybe this was what he’d been hoping for all along.
“That’s right,” I answered.
“Wait.” Annette was staring from me to Luther. “Your mother’s with them?”
I brushed away a strand of hair that was stuck to my oily forehead. “She’s not, no. But my lovely father is. She’s helping me find proof to take them down. And by the sound of it, I think she has it.”
“We’re coming with you,” started Luther, but I held up my hand.
“No,” I said, and it came out more like an order but whatever. “I can’t risk my father or any member seeing you. I won’t risk my mother’s life. He’ll kill her.” That, I was certain of.
Luther seemed to consider it for a moment. “Okay. We’ll wait.”
“Here?” Came Annette’s stressed-out voice. She was worried about her girls. And I didn’t blame her.
“Is that a problem?” Luther looked at Annette. By the way he was standing, all authority and official, he fully expected her to invite him to stay.
“Uh… nooo.” She glanced at me, her cheeks flushed. “Of course not. Please stay.”
I felt bad for Annette, but this was our shot. I had to take it. “I won’t be long,” I told her. “I promise. Not more than an hour, tops.”
Annette just nodded without saying a word, watching Luther as he grabbed his phone and tapped some numbers. He put the phone to his ear and walked out of earshot.
“I’ll be back soon,” I told Annette again. She looked like she was in hell.
And with that, I rushed out the door and made for my Jeep.
If everything went according to plan, tonight would mark the end of The Forsaken’s reign.
But we all know things in life are never that easy.
21
Imade it to my parents’ house a bit later than I had planned because I’d walked-run to the big manor.
Well, not for the entire journey. I had parked my Jeep a few blocks away to avoid drawing attention to myself. The last thing I wanted was to put my mother in danger. My mother was risking everything to get me this proof. I was shocked but more touched that she was willing to do this.
Plus, I didn’t want to screw this up.
Gasping for breath, I stumbled towards my parents’ house and pressed myself against the side of the building. The front lawn was a patchwork of shadows created by the tall dogwood bushes that lined the perimeter. I cautiously made my way through the foliage, careful to remain hidden from view. Every rustle of leaves and snap of twigs sent my heart pounding in my chest as I crept closer to my destination.
The kitchen’s back door.
I hadn’t seen any cars or SUVs parked in the driveway, so I had no idea if my father or Brother Algar were here. But I wasn’t going to take any chances. Not with me. Not with my mother. I had to sneak in, get the proof—whatever that was—and sneak out. I might even take my mother with me. It was that kind of night.
I made it to the end of the house and peeked around the corner. Nestled around a stone courtyard with boxwoods and neatly trimmed rosebushes was the kitchen’s back door.
After waiting for a few seconds and inspecting my surroundings, I rushed for the door.
As I stood in front of a thick oak door, I pulled on the shadows around me, feeling their energy coiling inside. I kept them close, and then I reached out, turned the doorhandle, and pushed in.
I was immediately greeted by darkness. I loved the dark. It was my faithful friend. All the lights in the kitchen, pantry, and from what I could see, down the hallway that led straight to the dining room, were off. It was one of those chef’s kitchens with the latest stainless-steel appliances, marble countertops, floor-to-ceiling cabinets, and two islands, but you had to have the lights on to appreciate it. Now, it just looked like an ordinary, yet cold, kitchen.
But my mother wasn’t here.
“Mom?” I whispered. She was supposed to be here. The door was unlocked, so I knew she’d done it. Where was she?
A numbness spread down my back and through my limbs. Something was definitely not right. Maybe she had to hide? Maybe someone came looking for her, and she hid with the proof she was supposed to give me?
Shit. I had had to find her.
My breath hitched in my throat, a low, foreboding hum echoing in the silence as I ventured further into the house. The shadows seemed to grow thicker, more substantial, almost tactile as they clung to me like a second skin.
This was all wrong. Should I leave? No. I couldn’t. I needed that proof. And I needed to make sure my mother was okay.
I tiptoed out of the kitchen and made my way to the hall, my eyes straining to adjust to the darkness. I found no sign of my mother anywhere. The only sound was the soft whoosh of my own breath, an eerie accompaniment to the oppressive quiet that filled the house.
Damnit.
“Mom!” I hissed. Still nothing.
As I reached the dining room, I peered inside. The large window let in enough moonlight that I could see well enough. She wasn’t here.
I’d been doing this paranormal investigation stuff long enough to know when things smelled bad and when to leave.
This was one of those times.
I couldn’t risk getting caught. I’d have to come back for my mother later, maybe with Luther as reinforcement. I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t go tiptoeing inside the house like a thief. My mother wasn’t here. There was a reason for that. And that reason was she didn’t have the proof. She’d had it, yes, but for some reason, she had to put it back.
Nodding to myself, I sneaked out of the dining room and made my way across the hall toward the kitchen.
A sudden burst of light rooted me to the spot.
I blinked. Harsh light hurt my eyes, and I felt the loss of my shadows.
“Mom?” I called out again as my eyes adjusted to the sudden blaring illumination.
As white and black spots obscured my vision, a figure stepped out into the hallway. I squinted to make out the figure. Tall. Broad shoulders. And dressed in a heavy cloak.
Not my mother.
“Brother Algar?” I ventured, seeing the eyebrowless and hairless Forsaken leader. I blinked. “You’ve brought company.” Next to him were not two but four other members. All male.
“Hello, Katrina,” said Brother Algar. A cold smile spread over his face.
It didn’t take a genius to realize I’d been fooled. They’d lured me here for a reason. The fact that all the lights—and I mean all of them, from the kitchen pot lights to the hallway sconces—were all lit meant there was a reason for it.
Because they didn’t want me to use my magic. They wanted me defenseless.
I also realized that if my mother wasn’t here, they had her. “What are you doing here? And why are you here with your cronies? Where’s my mother?” Anger soared as I slipped my hand into my pocket and retrieved my lighter. I might not have my umbra magic, but I could still manipulate fire. Yes, if I used magic against them, they’d know my rusane wasn’t working. So be it. I’d fry those bastards if they’d hurt my mother.
Brother Algar stepped forward, his pale eyes on the lighter in my hand. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
“What did you do to her, you sonofabitch,” I growled.
The members of his Forsaken group all stared at me, their faces hidden beneath their hoods. They had an air of menace about them as if they reveled in chaos and violence.
Brother Algar tilted his head, his expression unreadable. “We’ve come to claim what is rightfully ours, Katrina.”
Now that the light was on, I saw a speckle of blood on the floor next to a small side table that held one of the many landline phones.
Monterfrackers. I felt the blood drain from my face. “If you hurt my mother, so help me god, I will kill you.” Screw being undercover. If they had my mother, they knew she had collected proof that could ruin them.
I gripped my old silver lighter tightly and pushed the ignition switch. A small flame came to life instantly.
It was five against one. But I’d beaten worse odds before. And I wasn’t planning on losing tonight.
Brother Algar chuckled, a cruel sound that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “That little fire trick won’t save you.”
I gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Want to test it?”
Brother Algar lowered his cowl. The dark, spidery veins I’d seen over his scalp had now traveled down to his neck and covered most of his face.
His eyes flickered to the phone, his voice dripping with venom. “Your mother brought this upon herself. If she had just obeyed like a proper female, she wouldn’t be in this situation.”
“Meaning?”
He paused, a smirk playing on his lips. “She couldn’t resist taking what wasn’t hers. And now she’s going to pay dearly for it.” The words hung heavily in the air, laced with malice and a twisted sense of satisfaction.
I gritted my teeth, emotions flaring. “I’m getting out of here, and I’m taking my mother with me.”
At that, one of the mages on my left snorted, like my threat meant nothing, and I was the butt of the joke here. Maybe I was. Maybe I was a fool. But I’d rather be the fool who’d go down fighting.
Without my umbra magic, I didn’t have much. Plus, I’d fought one of these mages before—Brother Matias, I learned afterward—and I’d nearly paid with my life. But I wouldn’t give up. Ever.
Brother Algar came closer still, eyeing the rusane around my neck. “You’re more resourceful than I thought you’d be.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” I raised my chin, never letting go of the hold, though small, on my magic. I’d love to burn off his eyebrows or his hair—but he had neither.
“Removing the magic from a rusane takes a lot of skill,” continued Brother Algar. “Magic I didn’t know you possessed.”
“You know nothing about me.” And I’d have to remember to thank my aunt later. That’s if I survived this. At least my suspicions were right. He knew I’d tampered with the rusane. It might have been Rita, or it might just be that the bastard could sense it.
With a furrowed brow, Brother Algar scanned me over. The air around us felt charged with energy as if the very essence of magic was pulsing through his body. It was creepy, though I’d never doubted the level of this mage’s magic. I knew he was powerful.
Still, I stood my ground. “All I want is my mother, and then we’ll be on our way. You can keep doing whatever you were doing.”
Luther would be pissed that I didn’t get the proof, but I couldn’t think about that now. There would be another way to get that evidence. There had to be.
Brother Algar surveyed me with an amount of desire that was as chilling as his bald, veiny head. “You’re very different from your mother,” he said. “She lacks that fire. That defiance in you. See, she resisted at first. But then she was a puddle in the palm of my hand. She’s weak. Pathetic. Just like all females. Your only true gift is the gift of breeding.”
I glowered. “Nice. Real gallant.”
Brother Algar sneered, his eyes dancing with a cold calculation. “You did breed with the cambion. Right?”
“That’s none of your business.” I braced myself, my magic coiled and ready to strike. “Where’s my mother? I’m tired of asking.” I knew she was in this house somewhere. And if my father was with her, I’d guess upstairs in their bedroom suite.
“Exactly where she should be,” answered Brother Algar. “At the mercy of her husband. And on her knees.”
Rage exploded within me. Holding my lighter in my left hand, I focused on the flame in front of me, allowing the heat to wash over me in a fiery embrace. I felt the power coursing through my veins, energizing me.
As I concentrated on the flame, I began to sense a strange energy emanating from Brother Algar. It was a dark, corrupting force. I knew he was a powerful mage, but this... this was something else.
I didn’t care.
I pushed out.
A shoot of yellow flames blasted toward Brother Algar.
It hit him in the neck. I was going for his chest, but whatever. I’d take it.
I stood back, readying myself for the other mages to attack, but they all stood there, watching their leader burn as the flames spread and reached high above his head.
That wasn’t good.
And then, when I heard Brother Algar laugh behind the wall of flames, I knew I was in serious doo-doo.
A sudden crack like thunder emanated through the room, and my beautiful flames evaporated.
Algar emerged, unscathed by the fire that had engulfed him moments earlier. A wicked grin spread across his face, revealing a set of yellow teeth.
His lips moved in a chant, a language that could only be described as demonic.
“Brog et cavil umut da!”
He flicked his wrist, and a thread of green energy blasted from his outstretched hand.
Oh, crap.
I threw myself sideways, but not fast enough.
Pain flared as something hot stung me on the side of my arm and lower back. I hit the ground hard, my head ringing like a bell. Through the green haze, I saw the thread of energy coil around me, tightening like a noose.
Oh no.
Desperate, I called upon my umbra magic, any magic, to counteract the green tendrils. But I had nothing. Not even a single drop of power.
As the world slowly came back into focus. Algar stood over me, his expression twisted with malice. “You thought you could stand against me, witch? I must say, I’m impressed with your... flame trick. But even a witch can only do so much do against a mage like me.”
My head was spinning. I’d never been hit by this type of magic before. I opened my mouth, but no words would come.
“It all worked out,” continued Brother Algar. “I needed you here tonight… and well… here you are.”
“What?” I croaked, finally finding my voice, though my throat was raw, like I’d downed some acid. “What the hell are you talking about?” I voiced again.
“Take her downstairs,” ordered Brother Algar. “She’s ready.”
“What? Wait. Stop!” I screamed. I tried to kick and punch, but my arms were pinned to my sides, and my legs were like concrete blocks. I couldn’t move.
A pair of strong arms hauled me to my feet, a mage on either side of me. I couldn’t support myself with my legs, so basically, I was dragged like a ragdoll.
“What are you going to do to me?” I yelled.
“Don’t worry, dear,” said Brother Algar in a sickly sweet voice. “You’re finally going to meet your family.”
“What are you talking about?” He was clearly delusional. I’d already met my family. I’d left them years ago because I couldn’t stand them, and they were abusive. Well, my dearest father had been.
My heart raced at the thought of what could be waiting for me in the basement, which was where I was pretty sure they were taking me.
“Let me go, you cloaked bastards,” I screamed. At least my mouth still worked. And I was going to use it. “What’s happening? Why the hell do you want me? I’m one of you!” That was a bit of a stretch, but I was a desperate witch.
Brother Algar said nothing as two of his members dragged me down the hall through another corridor, the one that led to the basement. Yup. They were taking me there.
As I was tugged down the stairs, my head still spinning from the impact of Algar’s magic, my muscles felt heavy like I was dragging around a suit of armor.
As we descended the stairs, the dimly lit basement came into view. There were shadows here. Lots of them.
So I did what any other witch who had the power to manipulate shadows would do.
I called to them.
Straining, I put in all I could, all my fear, anger, and every emotion I felt at the moment, knowing that emotions fueled magic.
And again, I was left with a feeling of emptiness. As though my magic didn’t exist. As though it had never been part of me. Like I was just a regular human.
Trying hard not to panic, I found myself in a familiar vast chamber filled with eerie symbols etched into the stone walls, glowing faintly with an otherworldly light.
In the center of the room stood a circle of cloaked figures, their faces obscured by hoods. Maybe thirty or forty of them, all members of The Forsaken.
My father stood among them, his cowl resting on his shoulders, giving me a full view of his smile. My brother Brad wasn’t here, as far as I could tell. Not sure how that made me feel.
I was dragged forward again, my legs and feet trailing behind me. My eyes fell upon an altar in the center of the circle, lit by flickering candles that created an ominous atmosphere. A sense of fear and unease filled my stomach as I comprehended the direness of my current predicament.
I couldn’t get Luther’s proof if I was dead.
