by J. E. Cluney
“Exhausted. I had a lovely dream though, but as soon as I woke, I saw everything I did. At least I didn’t really hurt anyone. Sorry for throwing you through a window,” she said as she gave Marcus a thin-lipped smile.
“Wasn’t you, so don’t stress,” Marcus replied, brushing it off.
Emma frowned as she flicked her eyes, and I had a feeling she was remembering a fair few things.
“It’s Joseph’s magic that allowed them to possess us. So if he dies, everyone should be freed. But…I know what he has planned,” she murmured as her frown deepened and she gritted her teeth.
“What’s he planning?” Trish asked as she placed a hand on my shoulder.
Rebecca and Cathy were standing back quietly.
“His plan is to consume all the power in Maple Grove and turn Lucas into a wendigo to consume you so that he can control an army of vampires, using banshee magic to make them impervious to sunlight. He wants to steal as much of your power as possible first, harness your touch of death, then feed you to him,” Emma said softly, her voice hitching as the fear overtook her features.
“Wow, charming,” Skip muttered.
“Well that’s certainly not happening,” Trish said with a scoff.
“He won’t be able to do that. We won’t let him. Do you know where he is?” I asked, trying to remain calm despite this news.
He wanted to turn Lucas? And then have him consume me? The thought was terrifying, chilling me to my bone.
But there was no time for me to fret over it. I’d just have to see that it didn’t happen.
“No, sorry. He kept his location from everyone,” she said with a frustrated sigh.
“Hey, I’ve got service,” Rebecca said, and I turned to see her checking her phone.
“Us witches only took out all service from the Brady house. They’re working on doing it to the whole town though,” Emma said.
“Great,” I breathed as I whipped out my phone and dialed George’s number instantly. “He’s worried sick.”
Emma gratefully took my phone as I handed it to her, and she managed a small smile when he answered.
“George, it’s me, I’m okay. Allison saved me, she got the spirit out of me. Some banshee power,” she whispered, giving me a thankful nod as I looked out the window.
Now what were we to do? Hide here? Wait for news from Lucas and Ollie?
“We need to find a way to protect Emma from being possessed again,” Marcus murmured as he stepped up beside me.
Emma was currently scolding George for even thinking of going into town to search for her. She wanted him safe and demanded he take shelter until we got all of this sorted. She would keep him posted since she still had her phone and it was charged enough.
Rebecca was trying her parents with no luck, and I hated the distraught looks on both hers and Cathy’s faces.
“Allison.”
We all flinched as Walter manifested beside me, and Trish swore loudly as Cathy’s hands started to glow.
“He’s with us, he’s good!” I informed everyone as they prepared to attack him, except for my mates. “This is Walter.”
“Ah, so you’re the one living inside my granddaughter’s void.” Trish clucked her tongue as she gave him a once over, and Brad pulled an awfully confused face. “I’ll explain shortly,” Trish added when she spotted Brad’s perplexed look.
“Yes, I reside in her void at times,” Walter said as he gave us all a quick bow in greeting before righting himself.
“How are you here?” Skip asked.
“My banshee side. She can control spirits now,” I answered, and Walter nodded.
“I’m using Allison’s spirit side to project myself forth. I believe I can help you ward your friend to stop any other spirits taking possession of her without her permission,” Walter said as he nodded his head at Emma, who’d just hung up the phone and offered it back to me.
“How?” Emma questioned.
“I doubt even I could block out that kind of magic,” Cathy added as she stepped forward.
“I could charm your pendant to protect you from them. I share the same magical signature as my father, so I can block out anything related to it. I may need some assistance though, if you wouldn’t mind,” Walter said, flicking his gaze to Cathy with a soft nod.
“I guess that could be possible if we have his magic signature,” Cathy said as she nodded slowly.
“Not to mention there’s still a trace of it in me I’d imagine,” Emma grumbled.
“True. We can get this sorted. And with the help of your banshee, I can now come forth when needed to assist you all,” Walter said as he stepped forward to stand before Emma.
“Can you save our parents?” Rebecca asked instantly.
“Going against a vast number of witches who have my father’s magic would be too much for me and could completely deplete my spirit,” Walter said with a regretful sigh.
“Do you think they’re even still alive?” Cathy whispered as her brow furrowed and she pursed her lips.
“Yes. Our job was only to get Allison. I knew she left as soon as you all entered this tunnel. I told the other witches, who wanted to come with me. I guess Lana wanted to take all the credit for herself though, so she sent them to the wrong place. The mansion will no longer be a target, unless Joseph sends them back for the powerful supes. Allison was priority though,” Emma explained.
This relaxed Rebecca and Cathy, who both let out relieved sighs.
“If they figure out you went rogue, they’ll try to track you. And your mother and aunt could be possessed, so they could use their blood link to you to find you,” Walter said as he folded his arms with a concerned look.
“Can you ward me from them?” Emma asked quickly.
“I can try my best,” Walter said truthfully, and Emma just nodded.
“Well, let’s get you warded then. Let me know how I can help,” Cathy said with a firm nod as she focused on the task at hand.
They got to work, and I stepped back as Skip and Marcus stood on either side of me, while Trish explained everything to Brad about Walter. It was making his head spin, given the way his frown only deepened as his eyes widened.
“You think this’ll work?” Skip asked softly.
“It has to,” I murmured.
I could feel Walter siphoning some of my magic through the void as well.
‘It’s to use our own spirit controlling ability to nullify Joseph’s on her,’ my banshee informed me.
It was oddly nice to actually speak with her now, rather than just get feelings. I knew she was me, she just had more knowledge in some areas, like she held the memories of many other banshees or deep instincts or something.
“How do you think Ollie and Lucas are going?” Rebecca asked as she and Cathy joined us off to the side.
“I can’t feel anything from them. But they’re still alive and not hurt, so that’s a bonus,” I said, flicking my gaze between them.
I could only hope they found this damn dagger soon.
7
Ollie.
I spread my wings out wide as I came in for a landing, hoping I could manage it with some grace.
‘Well, you gotta learn somehow,’ Lucas said with a snort into my mind.
Landing in all other forms had been a breeze, but this powerful shape was different.
I flapped my wings as I drew up, and I allowed my back legs to touch down first before I put my front ones down and stalked forward.
That was a decent landing for my first time, and Lucas let out an impressed sound too.
I focused on my dragon side, on where he was guiding me to go.
I turned, scanning the surrounding area.
I’d landed in a valley, trees dotting the hills on either side. We’d not seen a house for some time, and I knew we were a far way away from civilization of any kind.
The grass was dry here, like it hadn’t seen rain in weeks, and it crunched beneath my feet as I moved onward.
M
y gaze fell on a large rock protruding from the earth, the top of it reflecting the moonlight slightly.
An owl hooted somewhere off to my left, but the only other sound in the valley was a soft whistling breeze that tunneled through.
I came to a halt before the stone, and Lucas glided down off my back.
“So it’s here somewhere?” Lucas asked as he gazed around us carefully.
My dragon rumbled inside me, and I let it take over as I took shotgun.
I watched on as my head ducked down, my neck stretching out as I opened my jaws.
Was he going to make me spew flames?
No, the strange, icy feeling that was bubbling up in my throat was new and unexpected.
An odd glassy jet of air shot from my mouth, and Lucas stepped back as I doused the stone in it.
I raised my head as my dragon slipped back, and I took over the reins again.
The stone before me cracked open, and the inside began crumbling inwards magically as Lucas arched a brow at me.
“Well, won’t lie, that was cool,” he admitted as he waved a glowing hand and a fiery orb appeared.
We both peered down the stone staircase that had appeared within the stone.
I guessed this was it.
I shifted back to man, stretching my shoulder blades and loosening my shoulders. God, it felt weird to not have those wings now. In all the other forms I had, my wings were technically my arms, but this shape was different.
“You think it’s safe?” Lucas asked as the fiery orb started down the staircase to light our way.
“Guess we’ll find out,” I muttered as I took the first step down, not caring that I was stark naked.
Lucas followed after me, and I was grateful for his fiery orb as we turned a corner and lost the light from the moon.
The cool stone steps made a chill course through me, and I pursed my lips as we stepped down into a narrow hallway.
Was this really a dragon hoard?
“So, an ancestor of yours left this hoard behind… Who do you think it was?” Lucas mused.
“No idea. Wonder how old it is,” I murmured.
“Well, considering Australia was only discovered by non-indigenous people in 1770, I suspect somewhere around then. Then again, supes did come over long before that and lived in warded areas to avoid the locals. So who knows?” Lucas said.
He was right—I’d heard of how some supes came over before Captain Cook and had lived in highly warded areas that hid them from the Aboriginal folk.
Did I have a relative from then who’d left this for me? I vaguely remembered my father saying our family lines started up in Australia before Cook ever set foot on these shores.
I pulled up as the hallway widened out into a room, and the torches along the wall ignited at our presence.
The shimmering jewels and gold before us took my breath away.
There was a large pile of it in the corner, but what I was impressed with was the shelves and desks all over the room, showcasing various ancient looking objects.
“Wow, it looks untouched,” Lucas whispered as he stepped up beside me.
He was right—the whole room was covered in a layer of dust, and various cobwebs hung from the ceiling and shelves.
“So what now?” I asked as I glanced over the various ancient objects, my inner dragon rumbling happily at the collection.
“Does your dragon know which item can be used?” Lucas asked as he inspected an old looking staff on a stand atop one of the various wooden desks.
My dragon rumbled in response, and I let it take over.
I strode around the room, surveying different objects without touching them, as my dragon didn’t seem too keen on having this ancient hoard disturbed.
I paused before a strange coin showcased on one of the shelves, and my dragon rumbled softly.
“This one,” I murmured as I reached out and picked up the dusty old coin. It looked like rubies were embedded into it, and from the markings on it, it looked to be from the Aztec period.
“Wow, that looks old,” Lucas said as he joined me, in awe at the ancient artifact.
My dragon was urging me to use the coin to call forth the dagger.
It had one wish it would grant that would draw forth a sought-after object.
I closed my eyes, wishing that I had the scarlet dagger in my hand so that we could finally end this madness.
The coin burned in my hand, sizzling against my skin, and I hissed as I opened my eyes, watching as the coin disintegrated.
Leaving a dagger in its place.
I stared at the intricate dagger with a fantasy style blade and a handle made of an odd red metal that looked like it was tinged with blood.
I carefully inspected it, watching as the red metal glinted in the lighting.
The scarlet dagger.
Power emanated from it, and my dragon grew quiet as we both stared at it in fascination.
“That thing is full of magic,” Lucas said softly as he frowned at it.
It was warm in my hand, and I could feel a faint pulse, almost like it had its own heartbeat.
This thing was the key to ending Joseph and setting everything right.
My dragon rumbled softly, and I gasped as a red wave of magic shot out of the blade, striking both Lucas and me.
My vision darkened, and a strange scene exploded forth in my mind.
I was battling the high seas in my old boat, cursing as a storm started to roll in.
This was as far as I was going it seemed.
I pulled the dagger free from my belt, sighing as the power resonated within it.
No one could find this dagger.
I yanked my gaze from it, pulling my arm back before flinging the dagger as far as I could into the ocean.
“No one will find it,” I said, but my voice was distorted, and the scene exploded into red smoke as I collapsed to the floor of the hoard room.
“Fuck, that was strange,” Lucas cursed as he rubbed his temple. “Did you see yourself on a ship too?”
“Yeah, what was that?” I asked as I carefully pulled myself to my feet.
The dagger still ebbed in my hand, but I ignored it now as I helped Lucas to his feet.
“I think that was Joseph, hurling the dagger into the ocean in hopes it would never be found,” Lucas murmured as he bit his lip.
It made sense. But why would the dagger show us that? Was it alive?
“It’s a cursed object. I hate cursed objects,” Lucas muttered. “Never know what you’re getting with them bastards,” he grumbled as he inspected a few other artifacts. He plucked a few off the shelves, despite my dragon rumbling in annoyance within me. I was sure he had a good reason for it, especially since he looked like he recognized them.
“They could come in handy when we get back,” he explained as he shot me a look before glancing around the room one last time. “C’mon, let’s get this back to Maple Grove and to my dad,” Lucas said as he turned back towards the staircase. “This whole place is warded with insane magic. I doubt I could portal us until we’re outside.”
I nodded as I followed after him, the warmth of the dagger traveling up my arm.
I swallowed as we climbed the stairs, hating the power that the dagger was trying to emit.
I wanted to drop this thing before it affected me, but I had to get this back.
Besides, if it was altered by warlock magic, then was it even safe for Lucas to hold?
“No idea. Your dragon is incredibly powerful, so I’ll leave it with you,” Lucas said as the torches back in the room behind us extinguished, plunging us into darkness.
Lucas’ glowing hand lit the way until we were back above ground, and I drew in the cool night air as we stepped away from the large stone.
I turned back as it rumbled, and the crumbling rocks rebuilt themselves as the crack vanished, leaving an untouched stone in its wake.
I guessed no one else could ever access it, not without my magical breath. Whatever the hell
that had been.
We were silent as Lucas opened up the portal, and I sucked in a deep breath as I stepped through, praying we’d end this once and for all.
8
Lucas.
We appeared at the edge of town, and I sighed in frustration. So the warding was still blocking us out. Damn.
“How do we even find Joseph to use this?” Ollie growled out as he stared down at the dagger in his hand.
I hated how it pulsed with an eerie red glow now, like it was reacting to being near the one who had infused his soul with it.
The power it contained was immense, something I’d never come across before.
Hell, it unnerved me, and I wanted to be done with it as soon as possible.
‘Thank God you guys are back,’ Marcus said, slipping into our minds. ‘There’s been a development. Allison needs to be the one to use the dagger, as he used banshee magic entwined with his own to put his soul in it,’ he said quickly.
I gritted my teeth at this news as Ollie and I exchanged worried looks.
No. I wouldn’t allow Allison to go up against that wretched warlock alone.
At least she was okay, along with the others. That much I was gathering from Marcus.
My mother…she’d protected them, along with Ollie’s family.
Ollie managed a small smile as he found the memory of his mother’s words from Allison’s mind.
‘We don’t have a choice. We have to let her do this. It’s the only way to stop him,’ Skip chimed in.
Neither of them was enthused with the idea either, but we were out of options.
“We need to bring this warding down first,” I muttered as I raised my hand and touched the warding. It shimmered blue under my palm, the power resonating through it.
We needed to get inside, otherwise finding the dagger was pointless. We needed to be able to reach him.
I hated knowing Allison was stuck on the inside.
He wanted her power most of all.
“Is that your dad?” Ollie asked, and I turned my head, following his gaze to the main road leading into town.