Aunt Anastacia paused. She twisted on her chair to face them all. “However, is it true there once lived a man whose name was never mentioned, who built a castle with dungeons? I can’t say.”
Dad squinted. “But if this Man does exist—”
“If he does exist,” Aunt Anastacia interrupted, “then we’d all be dead already.” She shook her head. “He can’t exist.”
“So who is he, though?” asked Emily. “Forgive me, but I don’t know squat about the legend. What does it say?”
“Are you positive that the man who hexed you was Gregory?” asked Aunt Anastacia, ignoring Emily’s question and pointing a sharp finger at Dad.
Dad thought for a bit, then nodded. “Absolutely. I remember his face from the picture you showed me. It’s him all right.”
“Then The Man might be a myth after all,” Aunt Anastacia concluded.
“Um, I’m kind of lost,” Emily interjected. “Do you believe The Man might be after the Na-Ma thingy?”
“What’s that?” Aunt Anastacia asked.
Emily explained about Selena’s response to the term. Aunt Anastacia only raised an eyebrow to that. She obviously knew more, but wasn’t saying it.
“Yes, it might be a possibility, if The Man does indeed exist,” said Aunt Anastacia.
“So he’s a rove?” asked Emily. “Is that what he is?”
“He’s not just a rove,” said Michael. “He’s a nightmare.”
Aunt Anastacia went on, “We’re better off not thinking about The Man. Like I said, if he does exist, we’d already be dead. Therefore, he doesn’t exist. Whoever filed these plans must have put “The Man” there to stoke the legend. Maybe to prevent people from entering the castle.”
“Yeah, but who filed the plan?” asked Michael.
“Maybe the Alfreds,” replied Anastacia. “The Alfreds have been around for centuries. Maybe Gregory’s father or grandfather built the building and then filed the plan under the name. Heck, maybe they created the legend.”
“You really think so?” Dad asked, incredulous.
Aunt Anastacia shrugged and then responded with a complete change of subject. “The Alfred kids didn’t figure out the illusion until you guys were in Dallas. Yes, I put a tracker in your car. Get over it.” The woman waved away Dad’s appalled look. “Anyway, I stuck around until they figured it out. They weren’t too happy about it. Alice tore the house apart, and then went on to give Marion a lecture for not getting his emotions together.”
“Um, what?” Dad looked confused.
“It turns out he has a thing for Emily.” Anastacia smirked.
At that point, everyone looked at Emily—who just blushed.
Anastacia went on, “They retired to the castle to rest up before they started the search for you guys. They also let slip that their parents would wake by midnight tonight.”
“So we go in before then and rescue the girls,” said Michael matter-of-factly.
“Or,” Aunt Anastacia opposed, frowning at Michael, “we use the opportunity to destroy the spell that has the entire town under the Alfreds’ thumb.”
“No!” Michael leaped to his feet, knocking his chair down behind him.
“Think about it,” Anastacia reasoned. “We only have this one chance. If the Alfreds wake up, they’ll be very powerful. It would be a lost cause for us. But now that they’re weak, we can break their spell over the town.
“We can have the town’s backing and that of the vigilantes. Why do you think the Alfreds took them out in the first place? Because they knew that with the vigilantes active, they would face opposition they might not be able to overcome.”
“It’s still a no!” Michael boomed.
Aunt Anastacia glanced at Emily. “Think about it. With the vigilantes, we have a multiplied workforce. We can rescue Rina and Joanna. We can run the Alfreds out of town or, better still, remove their magic and render them impotent for all eternity.”
“We can do that?” Emily cut in.
Aunt Anastacia nodded. “Difficult but doable. Especially with a fire demon. It’s the only ingredient that’s missing. The breath of a fire demon.”
Emily nodded. Of course. The breath of a fire demon. Totally obvious, right?
“You can’t seriously be considering this,” Michael said to Emily. “They’re your friends!”
Emily ignored him. She kept her eyes on Aunt Anastacia. “I suppose you know how to destroy the spell that’s binding the town?”
“Not yet,” her aunt replied.
“So you’re not even ready for that plan?” Michael screeched, incredibly angry now. “And you want us to go ahead with it?”
Aunt Anastacia ignored him, too. “I have a few ideas. I’m positive if we put our heads together, we can find the nexus of that spell and destroy it.”
“Nexus?” Emily questioned.
“Yeah,” she replied. “The spell is obviously not linked to the Alfred kids; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to break the barrier, since they expended too much energy sustaining the spell. It can’t be the Alfred seniors, either, since they’re currently out of the game. So it’s a physical structure somewhere in the town.” Aunt Anastacia brought her fingers to her chin in contemplation. “Something of significance and power. Significant to the entire town’s political or material power. Something symbolic.”
“Or someone?” asked Emily.
Aunt Anastacia froze. She thought about it carefully before she nodded. “Or someone. Someone very influential, symbolic, and powerful.”
Emily remembered Joanna telling her that her parents were cozying up to the Alfreds. Could the Alfreds have used them to spell the whole town? Joanna’s parents were very rich and influential. They were the ones who prevented the government from interfering with New Haven’s jungle-justice-style vigilantes.
They had so much power that they, for all intents and purposes, ran the whole town. Although they rarely got involved in local politics, their words carried more weight than all the citizens of the town put together.
Emily was certain that if they could find Joanna’s parents, they could find the nexus.
“Do you have someone in mind?” asked Aunt Anastacia.
Emily nodded. “The Russos.”
Michael gasped, shifting his eyes to Emily.
Dad nodded. “That could work. They fit the profile.”
Aunt Anastacia looked suspicious. “Are you saying that so that we can go rescue Joanna and Rina?”
Emily chuckled. “I think you’ve misjudged the situation, Aunty,” Emily said. “We’re going after my friends first. I’m just saying that your plan to destroy the spell over the town will naturally come in second.”
Aunt Anastacia flared with anger. “You damn little girl!”
Emily’s anger was already stoked. She remained calm, however, and allowed a smile to tug her lips apart. “This is the plan, Aunt. We go save our friends, and then we go after the nexus. I doubt if Joanna’s parents are cooped up in their house. We’ll need Joanna if we’re going to cast a locator spell.”
“I don’t need Joanna,” snarled her aunt. “I just need something that’s linked to them. And I have something.” Aunt Anastacia pulled out some strings of hair from the folds in her robe.
Emily looked askance at her. “You’ve been busy, Aunty.”
“Let’s just say I thought ahead before you got here,” Anastacia replied. “It’s a mix of their hair. I can use it to track them.”
Michael folded his arms across his chest. “That doesn’t change anything. We still need to find Joanna and Rina first. The nexus can wait.”
“Can it?” Aunt Anastacia barked. “You think the Alfreds—all of them—will sit idly by after we’ve stolen their prisoners? They’ll come after us with all their strength, and I don’t think my magic can keep this place hidden for too long. Especially if the—” She shut up at that moment, true fear exploding in her eyes.
Emily had a feeling she had wanted to say ‘The Man.’
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“The what, Aunt?” Michael inquired.
Aunt Anastacia didn’t reply. She sucked in a breath and said, “We need to destroy the nexus. Now.”
“Why haven’t you located them?” asked Michael. “If you have all you need, why haven’t you already done it?”
Aunt Anastacia said, “I want The Owl to do it.” She gesticulated to Emily. “It’s one of your powers. You can track this hair using your Owl magic.”
“I’m not a bloodhound or a wolf, Aunt,” Emily scoffed. “Use your tracking spell.”
“She can’t track Joanna’s parents with the hair she got from the house,” Michael said. “The whole house must have been sterilized. And everything within it.” Michael chuckled.
“What does that mean?” Dad asked.
“It means nothing in the house can be used to track the inhabitants,” Michael said. “That’s what she planned to do when she stayed behind at the cottage. She sterilized the house and made us virtually untraceable.”
“But the scent on the hair can lead you to them,” Aunt Anastacia said to Emily. “We need to take down the nexus. After that, I promise we’ll get your friends. They’re still alive and well.”
“Aunt, you promised me that, after we got out of the cottage, we were going to save my friends,” Emily said. “Now you want us to destroy the nexus first? How do I know you’ll keep to your word?”
Aunt Anastacia looked up in annoyance. “Technically, what I said was we’ll rescue your friends and then go through the Adoption. You don’t see me pushing for the Adoption, do you?”
No one replied.
“Good, now track them.” Aunt Anastacia folded her arms.
Emily frowned. “No. We’re going after my friends. The nexus comes after. I’m siding with my brother on this.” Emily’s tone was hard, and she gritted her teeth.
Michael harrumphed. “She’s siding with me.”
Aunt Anastacia glared at both teenagers. She was about to open her mouth when Dad spoke.
“It’s our best play,” Dad confirmed. “Unless you want to find yourself another Owl and warlock. Or you want them to walk into a trap themselves.”
Aunt Anastacia turned to Dad. “You support them on this?”
Dad shrugged. “Do I have a choice? If they both agree on this, then we have to help them.”
Aunt Anastacia sighed and slumped into her seat. “Okay.” To Michael, she said, “I suppose you have a plan?”
Michael didn’t waste any time. He walked up to the TV screen, grabbing a remote control from the table as he went. He clicked the button, and the screen changed to another view, where the floor plan was different and the number read -2.
“Even though we have enough firepower to level the castle, we need to be pretty stealthy in bringing Rina and Joanna out,” Michael touted.
He tapped a button and the screen changed. Well, it didn’t really change, per se. It only zeroed in on a tunnel at the edge of the dungeon that seemingly led into the rock upon which the castle was built.
“There’s a secret accessway that leads to the sewer system.” Michael squinted at the screen. “The nearest manhole is just beside the mall.”
“And is this accessway still, you know, accessible?” questioned Dad.
“Even if it isn’t, I can make a way.” Michael snuck a peek at Aunt Anastacia. “I’ve been studying the spells I might need. I’m good to go.”
“Nonetheless, you’ll need help, just in case something goes south,” Emily pointed out.
“Where will you be?” asked Michael.
“Raining fire down from the skies,” Emily said somewhat smugly. “It’s time we burned down that mansion once and for all. Here’s the plan.” Emily didn’t wait for Michael to respond—the puzzle pieces were fitting together rapidly in her mind. “Michael will enter the accessway and go straight to the dungeon. He’ll rescue Rina and Joanna and lead them out through the manhole. While he’s doing that, Aunt Anastacia and I will attack the place from the front. Hopefully, the Alfred juniors will come out to meet us or probably try to get their parents out so they don’t burn to death.”
“And where will I be?” asked Dad.
“You’ll be with Michael,” said Emily. “In case the magic doesn’t work, you have your weapons. Plus, there are two of them in that dungeon. Michael can’t carry two girls.”
Dad nodded.
“While Aunt Anastacia and I are wreaking havoc on the mansion, Michael and Dad are rescuing the girls silently and escaping via the accessway.” Emily gained confidence as she spoke. “We’ll remain on comms so that the moment Dad and Michael are clear of the property and on their way to the safe house, we can disengage and hightail it out as well.”
“Aunt, you’ll need to carry a live animal with you—to sacrifice,” Emily said. “Because you might not be able to just drive out of there. You’ll need to pass through the tunnel of the dead to get away from the house.”
“How about you?” asked Aunt Anastacia, nodding.
“I won’t have any issue getting out of there,” Emily reasoned. “I’m impervious to magic.”
“Not when you’re the fire demon,” Aunt Anastacia replied. “Remember how I was able to stop you from flying off after you destroyed the horde? It was because the fire demon was in charge.”
“So you’re saying magic works on me when I’m not in control?” asked Emily.
“Sadly, yes,” said Aunt Anastacia.
Emily groaned. That put a wrench in their plans. She shrugged. “That changes nothing. I’ll simply be in charge the whole time. I know how to breathe fire, after all.”
“Good, then we have a plan!” Michael said hastily.
“Except we don’t have a time,” Dad pointed out. “When do we leave? How long does it take to get from the manhole to the accessway? How long do Emily and Anastacia have to wait before they attack?”
“We leave in one hour,” Emily announced. “We take separate cars, obviously, and we only engage the moment you and Michael have a line of sight to the dungeon. So you wait to enter the dungeon until you hear the explosions.”
“And then, when we save Rina and Joanna and make it all the way out of the sewer, we give you the signal to pull off,” added Michael.
“Michael and I will drive here to the safe house with the girls,” said Dad, “while you’ll fly, and Anastacia will tunnel through the land of the dead. Okay then.”
“Any questions?” Emily looked around.
No one spoke.
“Aunt Anastacia?” Emily fixed her gaze on her aunt.
Aunt Anastacia looked her in the eyes. “This is a mistake.”
“Be that as it may, do you have anything to add?” Emily held her ground.
The rove woman shook her head. “Everything we need for this mission is in the utility room. Let’s meet there in one hour.”
31
No one had much desire to go back to bed, so they went straight to the utility room. It was designed like an armory. There were lots of different kinds of guns on the wall. Costumes and combat fatigues as well. A couple tables with special equipment arranged on them stood in the center.
Dad didn’t waste time gearing up. He selected combat fatigue gear with night camouflage. In minutes, he started arming himself. Several frag grenades, a big assault rifle, a sniper rifle attached to his back, and one pistol. He also took a black bag from the wall and loaded it with demolition charges.
Emily and Michael spent the better part of half an hour watching Dad as he methodically went through the motions of gearing up for the mission.
At some point, Dad looked up and stared at both of them. “Don’t you two have gear to pick up?”
They both shook their heads. Dad shrugged and went back to filling up his black bag.
Emily didn’t really need any special utility. All she needed was already within her. Selena and Zee. It was the same for Michael. He was a warlock. His ability rested in his magical powers.
“Having a sidearm w
ouldn’t hurt, though,” Michael mumbled out loud to himself.
Dad looked up at him, and then gestured for Michael to join him. “Then by all means, come and get some. I hope you can shoot.”
Michael joined Dad. “Yeah. My dad taught me a thing or two.”
For a second, Emily thought Dad would punch Michael for bringing up Mr. Winter. But Dad didn’t as much as bat an eye.
“That’s good enough for me.” Dad nodded once.
Emily found a place to sit while she waited. She tried to work up her anger, so that by the time she arrived at the mansion, the fire demon would be ready to come out and play.
This was a simple hit-and-run mission. She had no intention of engaging the Alfreds for any actual fighting. Aunt Anastacia’s mission would be to engage the trio while Emily wreaked havoc on the building.
Emily’s desire was for the building to crumble to absolute ashes. She wanted the building so decimated it could never be used again. Never to be involved in furthering evil schemes.
Dad and Michael were soon done arming themselves with weapons. Michael had finally settled for more than a sidearm. He wore full combat fatigues, although not with all the weight of several weapons.
He also wore a Kevlar vest and a helmet with a headlamp attached to it.
Dad must have spotted Emily’s surprised look because he said, “He needs to be protected if we’re going to be blasting through rocks.” Dad patted the Kevlar vest protecting Michael’s torso. “You can’t be too careful.”
Michael twitched his lips.
At the one-hour mark, Aunt Anastacia came in. She was dressed in her red robes and held two large jars in both her hands. “Are we ready?”
“What are those?” Emily inquired.
“Woah!” Michael squealed, coming close to Emily. “I read about those. Are they . . . ?”
Aunt Anastacia nodded grimly. “I’m afraid so. Don’t touch them unless you want them unleashed here.”
The jars were red and covered with lids. They had metallic handles, which was how Aunt Anastacia was able to hold them. They looked fragile. As though the moment they hit the ground, they were going to shatter and unleash their contents. Intricate designs covered the bodies of the jars.
Controlled by a Fire Demon: The Owl Shifter Chronicles Book Two Page 16