Twisted Souls: Twisted Magic Book Three

by Rainy Kaye

  “She’s a witch,” I said, matter of fact.

  “There’s a couple of them around here,” Ever said with a short nod. “She set her sights on Madison.”

  We were surrounded by big, empty woods; we needed to get moving.

  “Why Madison?” I asked.

  “Why anything? Nancy Davis is insane.”

  “I guess that’s where we came in,” I said. “We were the only fresh blood in the town, literally.”

  “Yeah. Nancy had held a mandatory congregation with the town and determined Madison was the only option. Not that she would explain her criteria, but I doubted it was anything that made sense. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor…” She winced, and then took a deep breath. “I know I can’t sell you on them, and I’m not intending to, but they’re not bad people. They’re scared. They were driven to desperate—even if a bit psychotic—means because Nancy was going to kill Madison. The sheriff died on day two of the plague. It’s been a bit lawless around here, and no one could help them.”

  The desperation in Ever’s voice filled my heart with stones, sinking it to my stomach. The cockatrice had sealed them into this town, and those who weren’t dropping dead had turned on each other. The last week in Haven Rock must have been a special kind of hell.

  “When Nancy took me,” I said, “one of the people at the cabin said he had a plan for my friends.”

  Even speaking the words made my stomach churn.

  Ever’s face paled around her mask. “Do your friends have any special skills that might have been obvious?”

  “Sasmita is a witch,” I said. “Randall has a catalog of documentaries stored in his brain where normal people have interpersonal skills.”

  “Before Dad died, he and Mr. Taylor got in a heated debate. Mr. Taylor wanted to cross the mountains on foot and head to the city. Dad knew that was a death sentence, especially this time of year. Higher up on the mountains, you’re asking for even worse weather than Haven Rock gets. I grew up hiking and camping out here, and I won’t even risk it.”

  Beyond the trees, the mountain range expanded to the horizon.

  “How in the world are we supposed to find them out here?” I asked, my words falling flat, like any hope I might have had.

  “Me.” Ever pointed at herself. Her eyes crinkled with a smile. “I know these mountains like my own house. There’s only one logical path for them to even try. Let’s go.”

  Without further discussion, she turned and started through the trees, toward the mountain peak that formed a wall behind Haven Rock.

  I ducked my head against the wind picking up and clomped after her as we headed into the mountains and whatever waited for us.

  10

  Ever led the way as the ground rose upwards. She really did seem at home out here on the outskirts of Haven Rock.

  I kept my sight on her, heart skipping a beat at the thought of losing her among the trees. Every few feet, I turned to take in the direction we had come, watching as we grew farther away from the town, away from the forest I had just become acquainted with, and headed deeper into the mountains. Patches of snow crunched under my feet, alternating with hard frozen dirt and rocks.

  We were headed farther away from the ski lodge, but the heavy clouds did nothing to assure me another blizzard and subsequent avalanche weren’t in the near future. The more I thought about it, the more I knew the storm we had experienced on the way to the lodge had been conjured up by the mage, but that was even more unsettling.

  The farther we hiked, the more the mountain range came into view, stretching out in all directions. From here, it seemed as if we could walk forever and never find another town. People could, and probably had, died out here, trying to cut through the mountains.

  The isolation pressed down on me. When we had come into Haven Rock to take on the mage, we had not fully explored just how removed we would be from anyone. From help.

  Out here, the mage would rule absolute.

  Ever jerked around, staring at me with wide eyes. She put a finger to where her mouth would be behind the mask, and then pointed off to the right a little. I perked up, straining to see into the distance, but the ground still rose upward.

  We picked up the pace, veering to the right, and I watched my steps, careful to avoid any ice patches or jutted rocks. As we reached a ledge, Ever ducked down, and I followed suit, waddling behind her until we could peer down.

  The Taylors—everyone from the cabin, plus another teen girl—loaded with backpacks and rolled up sleeping bags, marched across the snow in two groups, red hair tossed in the breeze. In between them, Randall and Sasmita trudged forward, with Genghis pointing the rifle at Randall.

  My heart clenched, and then I realized we were down one.

  “Where’s Fiona?” I said under my breath, my words swirling away in the wind.

  Ever didn’t seem to hear me, but she gestured for me to follow her. Together, we crept along the ledge, following as they trekked their way through the mountains along a thin, mostly covered trail that probably had once been used by miners to bring up supplies by donkey.

  The group slowed to a halt, turning toward each other, Genghis’ gun never wavering from Randall. As they spoke, snatches of their conversation vaulted up to us, but I could make out words like for now and light a fire.

  The Taylors dropped their bags and rolled out sleeping bags. Tommy pawed around in the snow and retrieved rocks that he placed in a ring, and Liz kicked free a few fallen branches and piled them in the center.

  Genghis said something to Sasmita, his words and tone blurred by the wind, but his expression was hard around his mask.

  Sasmita crept toward the cold campfire and hunched down, Genghis’ gaze fixed on her. She glanced up at Randall, at the gun still trained on him, and then blue magic flared at her fingertips. I held my breath, expecting her to blow them all away.

  Her magic sparked the wet branch and held it before igniting into a roaring fire.

  She skittered back from the flames, her chest heaving as she looked back up at Randall. His expression remained neutral, but I could see the anger flaring in his eyes fierier than the campfire Sasmita had been forced to start for them.

  Their plan came together for me. They wouldn’t be able to trek the mountains on their own—there was no way that campfire would have lit by normal means—but now they had a witch at their disposal. Sasmita could keep the fire going, could even shield them from a blizzard. Randall had turned out to be the bait they needed, it seemed. They didn’t realize Sasmita was on some wild quest of her own and wouldn’t have risked death putting an end to it. They just knew what everyone did—people behaved better when others they cared about were threatened.

  Becky said a few words to Paul, who stood with a rifle lowered at his side, and then started off into the trees, away from them. As she went, she scanned the ground. A tree branch poking out of the snow caught her eye, and she twisted it free, shaking it off, before tucking it under her arm and proceeding on her way.

  Ever and I crept along, trailing her from above. If she looked straight up, she would see us, but her attention remained on the ground, on gathering firewood.

  When the camp had fallen out of view, and Becky stood alone among the trees with an armful of wet branches, Ever sidled closer to me and leaned toward my ear.

  “We need to rush her,” she said, voice low but clear. “Try to be as quiet as possible. We’ll take her hostage and barter her freedom for your friends.”

  My stomach turned in on itself. Somehow, I liked the idea of taking someone against their will as much as I enjoyed being on the receiving end.

  Stiffly, I nodded.

  Becky bent, turned away from us, to grab another branch.

  Ever pushed to her feet and started down the slope. I followed after her, working my way through the snow, trying not to fall flat on my face.

  Anger roiled in my chest. How dare these people use me and my friends’ lives for their own gain. How dare they force me to become somethin
g I didn’t want to be.

  My magic yanked up from the earth, igniting my hand in blue.

  Our soles crunched, the only sound in the evening stillness, as we darted out in the open.

  Becky jerked toward us. Her eyes widened as she dropped the bundle of branches.

  My foot slipped, and I grabbed a tree for support and then pushed off it and flew after her. With my free hand, I yanked the katar from the sheath at my side. In the same movement, I launched a swirl of blue at her. The magic slammed into her chest, and she tumbled backwards, dropping to the ground. She scrambled back away from me and rammed into a tree. I charged toward her, and then leered down at her as she peered up, breathing heavily.

  “Where the fuck is Fiona, you blithering fuckbag?” I snapped, raising the katar like I meant business. I wasn’t sure in that moment what I was and wasn’t capable of, and I hoped it was all put on.

  Recognition lit behind her eyes.

  “New Hope took her,” she said between pants. “They thought she was sick—she looked so unwell—they didn’t want…They said we couldn’t risk another illness. They took her to May-Bryce.”

  Ever stormed up behind us.

  “What’s May-Bryce?” I asked her.

  “The lake on the other side of town,” she said, hand on her kukri.

  My heart plummeted. I had to get to the lake before the people of New Hope hurt Fiona.

  I started to turn back to Becky. Footsteps crunched to the side. I spun around as Paul emerged from the trees, in the direction of camp. Ever swung around, pulling her kukri, pointing it at him.

  He raised his rifle and then paused. “Ever?”

  The surprise in his voice pierced the cold air.

  “Lower the gun,” she snapped. “Now.”

  Paul hesitated, not moving the gun trained at Ever’s head. Her kukri didn’t falter, though he would have time to pull the trigger if she dared a move.

  “You took her friends hostage,” she said with a growl, nodding toward me.

  Becky glanced between Paul and me, but didn’t dare to move.

  “You don’t understand,” Paul said. “Sometimes you have to make tough choices.”

  Ever scowled. “Don’t talk to me like I’m a little kid. My father is dead. My sister is dying. My—”

  “We won’t make it through the mountains without their help,” he interrupted. “We’ll let them go when we reach safety.”

  “That’s not acceptable,” Ever said, voice dark, grinding her foot into the snow. “Besides, we’re clearing the road. While you’ve been out here acting like a psycho, we’ve been busy preparing to defeat the cockatrice.”

  Paul started to ask something.

  The teen girl who hadn’t been at the cabin stepped up behind him. “Dad?”

  “Go back to the camp, Madison,” he said.

  “Daddy,” she said, pitch raised. “Don’t point a gun at Ever!”

  His gun lowered a little, but then he brought it right back up.

  “I’m not letting anything stand in the way of getting you to safety,” he said.

  Madison parted her lips, as if unbelieving what was transpiring.

  “By hurting people? By being as bad as New Hope and Nasty Nancy?” She shuddered, tucking her arms against her sides. “I’m going back to town.”

  Paul startled. He turned halfway to her, his gun still aimed in the general direction of Ever and me, but he seemed to have lost his focus.

  “What are you talking about?” he asked, panic coloring his voice. “You know that their ritual is bullshit. Even if they catch her again”—he nodded toward me, where I stood still half over his wife, but I had lowered my katar without noticing it—"when the ritual fails, they will come back for you, and they won’t let you leave next time. You can’t go back into town.”

  Madison crossed her arms over her chest. “And how are you going to stop me? You and Uncle Cliff going to wave guns at me too?”

  Paul’s face went pale, and he seemed to wobble a little in the cold wind. Without committing to either lowering his gun or training it on a specific target, he raised his gaze back to Ever.

  “What do you mean you’re going to defeat the cockatrice?” he asked, and he sounded dazed, as if he was unsure what was happening, what he was even doing at this point.

  “I just need the help of the witch you got back there,” Ever said, and I had to be impressed at how smoothly she lied. We already had the medallion, and her sisters were on their way to take control over the cockatrice with it. Paul needed the last little nudge to release Sasmita and Randall.

  Paul didn’t respond.

  “This mountain is too difficult to cross on foot,” Ever pushed. “You know it as well as Dad did. Just release her friends and let us clear the road.”

  When he didn’t respond, Madison took a step closer to him, coming up next to him to peer up into his face.

  “Please, Dad,” she said. “Listen to Ever.”

  For a long moment, Paul did nothing. Then, finally, he lowered his gun.

  Without another word, he turned and headed back toward their camp. Madison shared a look with Ever, equal parts terror and disbelief, before trudging after Paul.

  Becky gave me an expectant scowl, still on the ground. I backed off, and she scrambled to her feet. Instead of taking off after Paul and Madison—her husband and daughter—she hurried toward Ever.

  Ever stiffened and then lowered her weapon as Becky wrapped her in a tight hug. She rested her head on Becky’s shoulder, closing her eyes, the kukri loose in her grasp.

  They parted and Ever gestured for me to follow.

  We wound through the trees, back to the Taylor’s camp, where a fire blazed in the pit and the others laid out on sleeping bags, except for Genghis who still held Randall at gunpoint. Randall stood silent, his fists clenched. Sasmita cowered next to a nearby boulder split from freeze-thaw, waiting for her next orders.

  Genghis looked up as we approached. Alarm crossed his face.

  “Lower your gun,” Paul said with a wave of his hand. “We’re letting them go.”

  Sasmita jerked her head upright and Randall dared to turn toward us as we broke into the camp.

  From their bedrolls, everyone else looked up, blinking and exchanging glances.

  “We have a better plan,” Paul said, and then his tone took on a sharp edge. “Cliff, put down your fuckin’ weapon, or so help me I will end you here.”

  With a scowl, Cliff lowered his rifle.

  Visible relief rolled through the family, even the slightly nutty Uncle Cliff who seemed to have enjoyed his opportunity to threaten lethal force.

  I took off across the camp, launching myself at Randall. He caught me in a hug as I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him tight against me.

  Something sharp and hard pressed against my thigh.

  “Are those the keys to Joseph’s van, or are you just happy to see me?” I said in a low voice as I parted from him, happiness bubbling in my chest.

  “Oh,” he said, tipping his mouth to my ear so only I could hear him, “you would know if that wasn’t keys, believe me.”

  I reared back, stunned, trying to think of a comeback.

  “We have a long trip ahead of us still,” Ever said to Paul and Becky, her voice breaking through my thoughts. “You should probably stay out here for a day or two and then head out on the road, give us time to clear the way.”

  Paul nodded.

  I turned to Sasmita and smiled, inviting her in for a hug. We embraced, sincerely, and then patted each other on the back before parting.

  “You okay?” I asked, holding her arms.

  “Yes, but Fiona—” she began.

  “I know. She’s at a nearby lake. Hopefully we can make it in time.” With that, I spun around, still holding one of her arms, as if keeping her from disappearing. “We have to get going. Fiona.”

  Indecision flashed in Ever’s eyes, and then she nodded.

  “We need a way to get to the lake
.” She looked at Becky. “How long ago did they take Fiona?”

  Becky winced. “Yesterday, when they brought back Madison, but they said they had to prepare her—you know Nancy is all into her rituals nonsense these days—and then they’d cleanse the town of her tonight at sunset.”

  I snapped up my head to the sky. The clouds obscured the sun as it sank toward the horizon.

  “We have to get going,” I said, breathless. “We left our van near the apothecary shop. Let’s go.”

  Without another word, I charged forward, in the direction of town, Sasmita and Randall right behind. Ever frowned at the Taylors, her expression torn between sympathy and disappointment—and maybe a bit of fear at what had become of the people around her—before following after us.

  As we hurried toward town, the sun continued to lower.

  We had less than an hour to save Fiona from what New Hope had planned for her.

  11

  We reached the main street of Haven Rock with little sunlight to spare. On the way, Ever and I caught up Randall and Sasmita on what had transpired in our time apart, and neither seemed particularly surprised by the turn of events.

  That spoke to our lives these days.

  The town appeared deserted, and I was pretty sure the number of piles of corpses on the ground had increased. None of the stores appeared to be open, and the lights were off in many of the homes. I imagined the death toll was even greater than it looked.

  The decimation of the town was probably the only reason our van remained right where we had left it, untouched. Even the portrait of the mage of New Orleans had been unbothered, though it served to remind me that we didn't have the first clue where the picture for our plague-wielding mage was. We didn't have time to solve that mystery yet.

  First, we had to get to Fiona.

  The van rattled as Randall floored it towards May-Bryce Lake. He clenched the steering wheel and leaned in, like that would somehow spur the vehicle faster. In the passenger seat, Sasmita remained straight and alert. Next to me in the back row, against the opposite door, Ever stared out the window, gripping the kukri across her lap.