Air gusted violently into the room from the hall behind us as an air fae ran toward us. Teal flipped around and threw up a barrier in front of him. Others stormed in behind him. We were now trapped between the new onslaught of The Blood Coven’s bounty hunters and the fierce water of an angry ocean.
“Get the hell over here, Flynn!” Lorelei screamed.
A wolf splashed toward us. The water was up to his chest and the current kept sweeping him off course. He lost his footing and slipped beneath the surface. A flash of green to my left and Lorelei was in the water on the other side of our magical barrier. Her emerald tail thrust her forward. What was left of our original attackers were either gone or caught up in the swirling water now. I scoured the dirty water for Evan, but he was nowhere to be seen. Lorelei raced through the water toward us, wolf Flynn in her arms. The witches opened a hole in their translucent wall and she burst through before it slammed shut. The water filled the hall to the ceiling now.
Lorelei dropped Flynn to the ground. He stood up and shook the water from his fur.
“Did you see Evan?” I asked. Lorelei shook her head. Her scales were already receding. Flynn barked and then morphed to his human form.
“He was cornered in the room last time I saw him,” Flynn said.
The water swirled on the other side of our magical wall and the storm outside raged. Bodies floated by being sucked away by the fierceness of the water. I drew in a deep breath and threw myself through the barrier. The current whipped me across the room in the opposite direction of where I wanted to go. I forced my eyes open against the pressure of the wild ocean. I caught the sight of the crumbled wall and held myself still against the power of the flowing water. My eyes searched the break room for Evan. I saw his dark, nude body floating in the corner pressed against the ceiling. He wasn’t moving and bubbles parted his lips. I launched myself from the floor, aiming for him.
The force of the water pushed me off track and pinned me to the wall. My lungs and eyes burned and my muscles were weakening by the second. I couldn’t pry myself from the wall. The water pressed down on me, holding me in place. My heart raced as I watched the last few bubbles leave Evan’s unconscious body. I was about to lose him.
I called to The Void and it answered. Power poured into me and I focused it on the water. The current slowed and the water started to retreat. I thrust myself through the water and encircled my arms around Evan’s torso. The water level dropped and I took us both to the surface. I gasped for air and struggled to hold Evan’s face above the water. I braced us against the counter and cabinets so we didn’t get caught in the receding current. I beckoned to the ocean and all the water left drained out the broken windows, taking the dead with it. We slipped down the wall and landed on the wet floor. Evan was slumped over to the side, eyes still closed.
I placed my hand to his lips and pulled the water from his lungs, forming an orb of water in my hand that I dropped to the floor. It broke apart when it hit the ground and created a puddle at our feet. Evan’s eyes fluttered open and he coughed, clearing the last of the water from his lungs. He sucked in air and began breathing again.
“Can you stand?” I asked. He nodded. I helped him to his feet just as Lorelei’s battle cry and Flynn’s bark pierced the air.
I ran back into the hall with Evan close behind. The barrier was down and my friends were braced for battle. Flames flew through the air at my side, curling around my friends and lighting the offending group ablaze. The smell of charred flesh rode on the air. The group was smooshed together into a gooey, bloody blob. Their screams bounced off the walls. Teal and Becky moved in unison with their arms outstretched in front of them, palms facing the glob of dying people. The glob continued to compress smaller and soon their cries were silenced and you couldn’t tell the individual from the whole. The witches flung their arms to the open window and sent the mash of flaming bodily bits onto the beach below.
Teal pulled the map from her pocket and we moved along the halls, heading toward the glowing dot. We stopped at a random cell for the naked among us to find some clothes. I leaned against the wall as they dressed, fighting the nausea that had returned in full force. We continued walking until we hit the end of the hall. Teal looked at the wall perplexed.
“I don’t understand. It’s still at least sixty yards ahead. This wall shouldn’t be here.” Teal pushed against the stone, but it didn’t budge.
“Maybe there’s a hidden door,” Flynn said.
We all started pushing on different areas of the wall and pulled on loose stones. I tugged on a protruding stone and heard a click as it gave way. A rectangular section popped back and slid to the side, revealing a dark, narrow hall. A few torches on the wall were lit, casting a faint, menacing glow against the old walls. A magical tug at my core told me my necklace was somewhere down the hall. Lorelei started to move forward and I stuck my arm out, blocking her path.
“I can’t ask you guys to do this. You need to go back now.”
“No. I’m in this,” she said.
“We are all in this, Little Witch, get used to it.” Evan stepped forward and brushed my arm to the side. The rest of my friends followed. I hurried to catch up. Multiple tunnels lined the hall and we warily passed by some, ready for whatever may attack us from the darkness.
“Be on alert. I sense magic,” Becky whispered. Teal took Becky’s hand in hers and squeezed.
A hooded figure crossed the path in front of us and quickly disappeared. We all froze. The hairs on my arms stood on end and I sensed Lorelei’s fear. I instinctively reached for her, but she was just beyond my grasp. The nausea grew in my gut as my knees trembled. The blood drained from my face and my brow was drenched in sweat. I sensed my necklace. It was so close I could almost feel it vibrating at my neck. I stepped forward and pain shot through my gut as if I’d been stabbed. I screamed in agony and blood spewed from between my lips. I fell forward, landing on my knees. Lorelei was by my side in an instant. A menacing laugh from the hall drew all our eyes forward. A hooded figure revealed itself from the shadows ahead of us.
It pointed in our direction and electricity jolted through the air. The charge was aimed at Teal. Becky threw her body in the current’s path, blocking Teal. The shock coursed through her body and she spasmed on the floor. Her jaw clenched shut, but white foam still managed to seep from between her lips.
Evan didn’t hesitate. He thrust his flame forward and it landed on the figure’s long hood. The Blood Coven member jerked off the aflame cape and dropped it to the ground. Flynn’s fierce growl rumbled the tiny hall and he shifted next to me. Teal was crying on the ground. Everything was happening too fast and my brain couldn’t process it all. Lorelei gasped. I looked up and tears flooded my eyes.
Brendan. My Brendan.
“You’re too late. It’s almost done.” He laughed and another bolt of electricity sprang from his fingertips, heading straight for Evan.
Evan dived out of the way and Flynn in all his wolf glory rushed for Brendan. Brendan drew his hand back, preparing to send another electric flare our way, when smoke started to pour off of Evan, saturating the hall with a dark cloud. I covered my mouth with my shirt and so did Lorelei. Flynn jumped up and propelled himself off the side of the wall into the cloud of smoke. His growls sliced through the air. Brendan screamed and the clash of their fighting filled the hall, but I couldn’t see them through the smoke. I pushed my magic outward to clear the air, but all I could make it do was swirl in place. I tried again and my vision blurred. I could taste the blood in my mouth. Teal was still crying. I lowered my body to the floor and crawled toward the sobbing.
She held Becky in her arms and was rocking her like a child. Becky’s eyes were fixed, set in a permanent stare. A giant scorched hole marred her shirt and the skin beneath was sticky and red. I grabbed Teal by the shoulders and shook her.
“She’s gone. She’s gone. You have to let her go. We need you now.”
She continued to rock Becky’s body and heave
d in sobs. A wolfy yip finally broke through her grief. She looked up at me with glistening eyes and I pulled Becky from her arms. “I have her. Go. Help Flynn.”
Teal’s eyes darkened and she jumped to her feet. She raised her arms above her head and her lips moved, but I couldn’t hear what she said. The room around me was spinning now, but I couldn’t tell if that was her doing or not. Wind blasted down the hall, pushing the dark smoke back, and gave us a clear view of Flynn. He had Brendan pinned to the floor. Brendan held a dagger jammed in Flynn’s stomach and was twisting it. Teal screamed and the wind picked up speed and strength. Brendan pulled the dagger from the wolf’s soft underbelly, but before he could jab it in again the wind knocked it from his hand. Flynn’s jaws locked on Brendan’s neck.
The warlock clawed at the wolf’s face, trying to free himself, but was too late. Soon he was lifeless and Flynn released his bite. The draw of my necklace grew in urgency while simultaneously feeling weaker. Like it knew the end was coming. Hooded figures filled the hall, streaming from the tunnels in front and behind us. My friends went on the defense, but I had to use all my strength just to keep myself upright. Teal yanked the map from her pocket and tossed it to me.
“Go! We got this!” She ordered. She flung her arm out in my direction and I was suddenly propelled down one of the tunnels. My last glimpse of the narrow hall was Lorelei in full warrior mode on the back of a screaming warlock, the scales on her temples shining.
Once the hall faded out of view, I fell to the floor in the dimly lit tunnel. My heart raced and the pull of The Siren Jewel was too strong for me to ignore. My vision was blurred, but I didn’t care. I had to keep going. For my friends. For my dad. For Ben. I had to hold the map practically to my face to see the glowing dot. I realized it was just around the corner. I tried to stand, but my knees gave out and I collapsed back onto the floor. I dragged myself across the cold stone on my hands and knees as blood dripped from my mouth. When I neared the turn, I used the wall to pull myself to my feet. A bright light illuminated from around the corner. I pivoted around it and stumbled into a large room. Gold and rubies decorated the walls. Intricate patterns were etched into every surface. The room smelled of sage and wax. Herbs hung from the ceiling, half melted candles lined the walls, and a giant table with at least twenty chairs sat at the center. But straight ahead on a pedestal of gold was my necklace floating in the air. Swirls of green danced around it, bouncing off the clear, glittering dome that covered it.
I stumbled forward and made it within a few feet of the pedestal before I fell to my knees. I struggled to breathe and coughed up dark red clots. I attempted to stop the room from becoming a tilt-a-whirl, but nothing I did helped. I rolled to my side and a pair of black heels came into view a few inches from my face. Red fabric swept across the glossy black tops.
“Hello, Jewels. So nice to see you again.”
I knew that voice. I lifted my head but couldn’t make out who it was. They crouched down and took my face in their hands. The face was now just inches from mine and I could finally see her clearly. Miss Kemp.
“You are so much like your mother. It would be touching if it wasn’t just so damn pathetic.” She stood and released my face. My head hit the floor. I was too weak to even hold my head up now. Soon death would come for me.
“I don’t understand…” I forced the words out between mouthfuls of blood.
“Of course you don’t, darling. Your father made all of this far too simple by keeping you so clueless. Which I suppose is for the best. Had I found you earlier, you wouldn’t have lived this long.”
“Where’s my dad? I trusted—”
“Shh, don’t waste the last of your energy, dear. The deed is almost done. Your dad will be dealt with next. His power could have been such an asset to the coven, but he chose a different path.” She sat down on the ground next to me and ran her fingers through my hair. “At one point your mother was my very best friend. Killing her brought me such grief, but it was the only way for me to become The High One.” She stroked my head and I felt my heart slow. “I didn’t even know you existed until she was gone. Her death ended up being such a waste of effort and pain. After all the jewel is of no use as long as a Siren Descendant lives. I do hope you understand, dear. It’s not personal. I actually quite like you.”
Blood pooled in my mouth and my breathing shallowed. The air stung my unblinking eyes, but I only saw darkness. Silent tears slipped down my cheeks and pooled with the blood seeping from my mouth.
Jewels! Get up. Lorelei’s voice invaded my mind. You will not lie there and die. Get up.
I can’t.
You can. I’m on my way. Don’t. Give. Up.
Save them. Save my dad.
That’s your job. Mine is to save you.
My connection to Lorelei exploded and every bit of her being poured into me. I felt her let go and give me every piece of herself.
No! Lorelei, no!
My vision returned and my limbs filled back with life. My lungs expanded with air as I sucked in a deep breath. Miss Kemp leapt to her feet and backed away from me. She held her arms high above her head and a chant flowed from her lips. I lunged for my necklace but was stopped short by the glittering dome. Miss Kemp cackled.
My feet left the ground and I flew through the air. My body fell back onto the large table at the center of the room and black ties that shined like The Void wrapped around my body, securing me to the wood. A chill snaked through me. The Void’s chill. My ties were The Void. But how? I struggled against my bindings, but the more I fought the tighter they became. My teeth started to chatter as the cold seeped into my bones and The Void forced its way in.
My life flashed before my eyes. My dad trying to teach me to ride a bike, but ultimately Mom having to take over. The day Ben was born. My first real kiss. Memory after memory flew by in rapid succession. And then a memory that wasn’t mine, but I had seen before played in my head. A spell to break all spells.
I grasped a hold of the feeling of that spell. I let it run through me uninhibited. I cleared my mind and only focused on growing the rumble of the spell in my chest. It burst from me and Miss Kemp let out an agonizing cry as my bindings turned to dust. I looked over and Miss Kemp was on her knees, blood spewing from her eyes, and she was clawing at her own stomach. I slid from the table and ran to the necklace just as the dome disintegrated around it.
I snatched the necklace from the podium and its power surged through me. I propelled my magic toward my birth mother’s murderer and let it wrap around her like a python. Her skin turned ghostly blue and she gasped like a fish trapped on land. The bones in her body cracked. She smiled. She wanted to die. And her wanting it worried me. I couldn’t give her what she wanted. But I needed to make sure that she was gone for good.
The ancient and twisted words flowed from my tongue. Her smile dropped to a frown when she realized what was happening. Her eyes filled with confusion as my magic eased its hold on her. The chill of The Void consumed me and the black mirror like glob spread out before me. Miss Kemp began kicking and screaming, but her broken bones made it impossible for her to run. I pulled her to me with an invisible tether. I forced her to her knees before leaning over and whispering in her ear.
“I would say this is for my mother, but that’s a lie. I’m doing this for me.”
I shoved her and she fell back into The Void. It absorbed her and snapped shut. My necklace vibrated in my hand. Voices carried into the room from one of the tunnels and I knew The High Council was here. I slipped my necklace into my pocket. Teal and Flynn came running into the room and wrapped me in their arms. I squeezed them back and watched as guards, Mr. Blu, and the rest of The High Council stormed in behind them.
“Where is she?” Blu stomped over to me.
“She’s gone. I don’t know where.” I shrugged. Blu’s eyes flashed doubt, but he didn’t call me out on my lie.
“Are you okay? Where is your father?” he asked.
“I’m fine. He’s
not in here. I don’t know where he is.”
“Finish searching the halls. Joseph Farrington is still missing.” Blu barked orders at the guards and the other council members came to his side.
“We will find your father,” Maggie said. “In the meantime, you all need to get back upstairs.”
“Ford Wells, shifter representative of The High Council.” He extended his hand to Flynn. Flynn didn’t reciprocate and Ford dropped his hand. “I will personally make sure that whatever is left of your sentences accurately reflects the work you did here today. You had the choice to run, but you chose to take on The Blood Coven. To do what was right. Your actions are commendable and deserve reward.”
Blu waved over the guards and they came up behind us with golden cuffs in their hands.
“Seriously?” I asked. He just stared at me. I placed my hands behind my back and the cuffs closed around my wrist. Flynn and Teal did the same. “Where is Evan?”
“He disappeared shortly after Lorelei collapsed,” Flynn said.
My heart shattered. Lorelei.
“Is she okay?” My voice quivered. Teal shook her head. Tears fell from my eyes and the guards led us back to the confines of Spellbound.
Over a week had passed, but no one had found any sign of my dad. The investigation was inconclusive. New guards were brought in to replace those who had failed so miserably or had been helping The Blood Coven. Stricter rules were put into place and all bindings and confinements had been recast across the prison and if the rumors were true they were stronger than ever and laced with dark magic from books left behind by The Blood Coven.
Lorelei’s body had vanished along with Evan. I knew he had seen the opportunity to escape and took it. I couldn’t say I blamed him, but it still stung. None of us understood where Lorelei’s body went. A guard reported he saw a man carrying a woman away from the scene, but he wasn’t able to catch up with them before they exited the tunnels and dove into the sea. But why would Evan take Lorelei’s lifeless body? It didn’t make sense, so I concluded the guard had probably seen some escaping Blood Coven members or inmates, not my friends. After all, I had seen his secret meeting with that Blood Coven member and I had a feeling he had a stronger connection to the coven than he let on. Without him here to defend himself my mind ran wild with accusations and possible explanations for his behavior. Some days I felt he was a saint and others a villain.
The Siren Jewel: Spellbound Prison Saga Page 18