“Whoopsie. Looks like that didn’t work,” she says, as if she knew full well whatever Abigail was doing would be fruitless.
“How—?” Abigail says wearily as she drops to the ground.
“Silly old fool. You don’t have anywhere near the capability to mess with the souls of Gemini Twins. The only one who has that kind of power is God—and maybe Death if he feels particularly generous. Good luck getting either of them on your side right now,” Cat says, chuckling.
“Gemini Twin,” Abigail mutters, raising a hand to her head. Her body flickers in and out of focus, shifting like a TV station receiving too much static. Then, with a simple blink, she vanishes.
Without Abigail’s knowledge and power and direction, I feel completely exposed. If Abigail’s abilities weren’t enough, none of mine stand a chance against whatever a Gemini Twin is, either.
Unable to think of any other way to protect the grimoire, I take off running. I turn down the first tunnel, racing into the darkness. Wade’s grandpa follows me, his energetic cord continuing to hold as I try to make an escape. Behind me, the Fetch’s footsteps aren’t far behind. I keep running, hoping my eyes will adjust to the darkness or the torches will light, but when they don’t I fumble for my phone.
It drops from my hand, landing on the soft dirt with a thud.
“Dammit,” I say, panting. Panic erupts through my gut, launching a dose of adrenaline, and I keep running, unable to justify slowing down to grab it.
If I’m going to get away from the Fetch, I’ll need to lose her in these tunnels. But how…?
Suddenly, I close my eyes, trying to summon the sight Abigail had shown me earlier. I have no idea if it is a trick my astral self can use while my real self can’t…but there’s no time like the present to try.
Please, please, please work.
I continue to run, hoping my other senses will alert me if I’m about to faceplant into a wall or something.
“There’s no point in running, Autumn. I’ll find you,” the Fetch calls after me. Her voice echoes through the chamber halls, sending chills up my spine.
Then, as if a theater screen ignites in my mind, the spectrum of colors erupts, showing me the faint outlines of the tunnel walls and its offshoots. The walls are full of small archways, one on top of the other above a flat platform. Inside each archway are the bodies of hundreds, if not thousands, of people who have sought sanctuary in these catacombs. The realization makes me shudder, but I keep running, taking turn after turn in the hopes of losing her.
Taking an immediate left, I veer the revenant and I as far away from where we started as possible. It’s only after the first twenty or so turns that trepidation begins to seep in.
How am I ever going to find my way out of here?
Even if we’re lucky enough to lose the Fetch, without my phone, a light, or any idea how to leave, I could die in these tunnels.
Before I could even finish the thought, I run back out into the middle of the circular room where we started. Startled, I pull up short, shaking away the shock and confusion.
“Autumn—oh, thank god.”
I spin around, clutching at my heart as Wade rushes toward me.
“How—? You shouldn’t be in here. You could have been lost…” I sputter, trying to catch my breath. My body quakes from the rush of adrenaline, and I can’t even begin to process what’s happening.
Wade shakes his head. “It’s a long story and I’ll tell you everything. But first, I have the rest of the revenants… You haven’t started the ritual yet, have you?”
“Noooo—” Cat’s Fetch erupts from the catacombs tunnel behind me, rushing past me and racing at Wade like a wildfire. The air crackles behind her as if she’s summoning some sort of static energy field.
As she reaches him, she places both hands across his chest, pushing hard. My mouth drops open as her body somehow passes through his, the way it had with Abigail. However, it doesn’t exit the other side alone.
Chapter 26
All Things Displaced
Wade’s spirit is thrust outside of his body, as if the Fetch was somehow able to dig inside him and yank it out. I nearly drop the grimoire as I lunge forward, reaching out for Wade. His physical body goes dormant—not unlike the revenant of his grandfather behind me. But his spirit stands just behind it, as if he’s somehow managed to clone himself.
“Wade—” I call out, unable to make my brain come up with more words. My heart comes to a complete stop—refusing to beat, just in case this means what I fear it means. Instead, my brain scrambles, searching for any answers on how to put him back where he belongs.
The Fetch of Cat cackles, as if this is the most hilarious thing she’s ever seen. “Looks like lover boy here isn’t as invulnerable as he thinks he is.”
Wade’s spirit looks down at his ethereal body with wide eyes and a look of horror clear across his face. “How—?” he mutters, flitting his gaze between me and his body.
I shake my head, still unable to process.
What do I do? How do I make this right?
I’m in no way prepared for any of this… I barely managed to bring Cat to life, and I evidently screwed that up. How do I put Wade back into his body?
“Abigail—” I cry out, my voice cracking. She has to be able to help me…
The Fetch of Cat circles around Wade and his spirit, a look of determination painting her features.
Abigail flickers into the room, but only a glimmer of her former self. Whatever she did to try to stop the Fetch clearly drained her.
“Help me…” I say, pointing to Wade’s body. “I don’t know what to do.”
Cat’s Fetch steps forward, curiosity lighting up her eyes. She jabs a single pointer finger into Wade’s spirit, but her hand goes right through him the way it did Abigail. Wade steps away, pulling back his arm and gawking at her. As if pleased with this outcome, she looks up, her eyes locking again on me.
Clutching the grimoire to my chest, I turn back to Abigail. Her essence shivers in and out of existence until she vanishes completely again.
Dammit.
Dropping to my knees, I flip through the pages of the grimoire, trying to find something—anything that makes sense. The words are a jumbled mess, and I don’t even take in the pictures or symbols. It’s like it’s all Greek.
“There’s no one here who can stop me now… Not you, not them,” the Fetch says, walking around Wade’s spirit.
Suddenly conscious of the predicament, Wade comes back to himself, and his spirit turns to face Cat’s doppelgänger. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
The Fetch shakes her head, completely unconcerned by his admonishment. Instead, the kinetic energy I felt as she ran by me rises again, making my hair stand on end. Behind me, the revenant gets restless as he begins to struggle against the energetic cord tying him to me.
“Tsk. What a predicament… Let’s see, which one will you choose to fight first?” the Fetch says, smirking. “Do you save your lover boy here? Stop me from getting your grimoire? Or stop him?”
The revenant’s extremities begin to twitch, its eyes widening with some kind of self-awareness he didn’t have before. He grabs hold of the energetic cord, tugging on it hard. However, unlike a real rope, it doesn’t pull me toward him, but it crackles under his cognizant touch. Instead, he turns his eyes to me, rushing forward and groping at the air. He stops just feet from my face, as if some sort of invisible fence separates the two of us.
While relief flashes through me, there’s an undercurrent of crushing horror that threatens to engulf me. Without thinking, I close my eyes. I have to do the one thing I know how to do. I don’t know how to stop a Fetch or inter a revenant, but I know how to save a soul.
Summoning as much energy as I possibly can, I draw on everything I’ve learned and lean on the power I have yet to understand. I may not have Abigail here to guide me—but I do have her gifts. My only hope is that it’s enough… I don’t have a sacred circle, candles…an offe
ring. But one thing I know for sure is this is not his time. I can only hope the universe will side with me.
There’s an enormous shift in the energy of the space as I tap into my innate gifts and birthright. This is my family’s space—it’s under our protection—and I’ll be damned if I let a Fetch or a friggin’ zombie destroy hundreds of years of preservation. Determination settles over me and my eyes flick open.
Cat’s doppelgänger steps back, concern flitting through her smug face for the first time.
Refusing to take my eyes off of her, I mutter under my breath, “Death—taker of life, power of gods and givers, grant me this request. Bone, blood, breath, flesh. Recover Wade’s soul—his remnants—and return him to me.”
“No—” the Fetch screams, her mouth open in horror as she rushes at me, stopping just inches from my face.
I hold my ground and continue to mutter the incantation. Wade’s spirit encloses itself in a sort of cocoon, as it starts to slide toward his body like it’s being pulled by a magnet.
Before his soul can merge with his body, Cat’s Fetch charges, stepping into its place instead. As she vanishes, Wade’s body animates again, despite his soul still being outside.
“Well, this is new…” Wade’s hand rises as he looks at it with curiosity.
“Get out,” I demand, taking a step forward. My pulse thrums like a hummingbird’s wings as it hammers in my ears.
Without warning, Wade’s body rushes at me and tackles me to the ground. The grimoire slides across the stone floor, landing a few feet away from the two of us.
“You know, it never occurred to me I couldn’t actually interact with your book in my astral form,” the Fetch says in Wade’s voice as she claws her way up my body.
The strange cocoon around Wade’s soul begins to dissipate and as he comes to himself, he rushes to my side. Reaching down, he tries to lift his body from me, but his hands go straight though.
However, the weight of his physical body on top of me takes my breath away as Cat uses her newfound strength to pin me to the ground. Extending her reach, she tries to collect the grimoire, but the revenant’s renewed fervor works against her as he kicks it out of the way.
Wade’s body rolls off of mine and crawls its way to the book and I lurch forward, trying to pull him back. Instead, a sharp pain shoots through my torso and I curl over to catch my breath.
“Don’t let me, er—” Wade’s spirit calls out, racing forward again and trying to pull his body back, but unable to make contact with anything.
It doesn’t seem the revenant is very discerning about who it attacks, as it reaches down, yanking Wade’s body back by the hair. It’s a byproduct I’m sure Cat’s doppelgänger hadn’t anticipated when she tried to wind it up like a toy soldier. She cries out, groping at the gnarly fingers.
A few feet away Abigail manages to materialize, her essence still not one hundred percent as she shimmers in and out of solidity. Her chin drops and she immediately turns her gaze to me.
“My apologies, Autumn. Please forgive me,” she whispers.
Without warning, she enters my body, somehow managing to shove my consciousness aside. It’s like being locked in a glass room—able to see everything that’s going on but not able to interact with my surroundings.
Abigail uses me to push up to a kneel. With my pointer finger, she draws a symbol in the ground. It looks like three interconnecting triangles.
Though I want to fight back from the intrusion, despite myself, I can’t help but wonder what she has planned next.
The Fetch shoves Wade’s grandpa aside, crawling her way to the grimoire.
Abigail ignores it. Instead, she contorts my hands into various symbols, like some sort of magical sign language. Then, she uses my voice to say, “Hail all gods, goddesses, and protectors of the Temple of the Soul—each who weigh heaven and earth in delicate balance, and in honor of the Fates’ grand plan. Oh mighty Death, taker of life, I deliver unto you the body of William Hoffman. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, bless his body so it may slumber in eternal rest.”
As her final words are spoken, the cord tying the revenant’s body to mine disintegrates. When the last remnants of it fade from around his torso, every corner of his body turns to ash and blows away like glitter being blown into the breeze. It flits away, sparkling as it spirals into the depths of the tunnel behind us.
My body lurches forward as Abigail’s energy is expelled, unable to hold onto my body. She’s thrust outside, and once again, I’m in the driver’s seat of my own body. Worse than before, her energy signature is weak, and her form is barely visible. Without a word, she vanishes completely.
Wade’s body stands up, the grimoire clutched in his hands, as a monstrous smile bursts over his ordinarily handsome features. “Finally,” the Fetch says, running a hand along the ancient cover.
“I—I don’t know what to do? I don’t know how to help,” Wade’s spirit says, distressed. “Autumn, what do I do?”
Racing forward, I spring at the grimoire, determined to wrestle it away from the Fetch. She steps aside at the last moment and I narrowly miss. My shoulder hits the side of the catacombs wall and pain shoots down my arm.
“I could really get used to this,” the Fetch says, chuckling, and running her hands up and down Wade’s form. “I can see why you like this…creature. He feels good. Strong… There’s a lot of power behind a male’s body. Who knew?”
“Yeah, well, it’s already spoken for—so get out,” I say, twisting around and lunging for the book again.
This time, I make contact, grabbing hold of either side of the grimoire and tugging with all my might. Wade’s strong hands hold steady, though, clutching at the grimoire as if my actions are nothing more than the feeble attempts of a toddler.
An ominous chuckle erupts from deep inside Wade’s chest as the Fetch snatches the grimoire back. “You don’t stand a chance. This was always my destiny. Don’t you get that? You can take away the revenants, but I’ll still find a way to become immortal.”
“That’s what you want? Immortality?” I sputter. “Why?”
Wade’s silver eyes narrow. “See, this is why you shouldn’t be in possession of this. How long have you known Cat was a Gemini Twin and you never even bothered to look it up… Typical.”
“Then why don’t you enlighten me,” I fire back.
“Let’s just say Colton shouldn’t get all the fun.” Pushing me aside, she tucks the grimoire under her arm and walks toward the tunnel exit. She doesn’t even bother with me, as if she’s realized just how irrelevant I am.
Feeling depleted and utterly defeated, desperation floods my system.
The walls are closing in and I can’t breathe. If she walks out—how will I ever get Wade’s soul back in his body? What if we can’t? I realize now I’m fighting a battle I was sorely unprepared to fight.
One thing I know for sure—I can’t let her take the book... and I can’t let her take Wade’s body…
But how can I possibly stop her?
Chapter 27
Sudden Death
Wade’s soul reaches for me. “Autumn—did she hurt you? Are you okay?” His eyes are deep pools of concern as he places his ethereal hand against my cheek. The coolness of it seeps into my skin, making me shiver.
I shake my head. “No, I’m all right.”
“Good,” he exhales softly, lowering his eyebrows. “How do we stop her? There has to be a way…”
“I don’t know…” I whisper, blinking back tears as I watch his body walk away without him.
Despair washes over me and tears brim in my lids.
Suddenly, dark clouds billow into the circular room, drawing all the energy from the torches and dimming the space. Wade’s dad steps out of the black, billowy vortex, getting right between his son’s hijacked body and the way out.
“Oh, shit,” Wade’s spirit curses.
His father doesn’t say a word to the Fetch, but the impact is immediate. Without a doubt, Cat’s doppel
gänger knows this means trouble.
Wade’s body screeches to a halt, cowering and stumbling a few steps back with the book pulled in tightly. “No—no, no, no…”
As if somehow able to grow in size, Wade’s dad towers over his son’s body as he steps forward, extending a hand out in front of him, still in utter silence. His silver eyes flash and his nostrils flare as he waits for the Fetch to do as his suggestion requires.
Instead, the Fetch backs away, clutching the grimoire tighter. “No, no, I need it.”
“Do not defy me, child,” Wade’s father says, his voice thundering through the space with an air of authority that makes my blood run cold.
“You don’t understand, though.”
Wade’s dad rolls his eyes, and with the flick of his wrist, the book flies out of Wade’s grip, landing softly in his father’s arms. Wade’s shoulders drop and the Fetch immediately drops to the floor, kneeling.
“I’m sorry, so, so sorry… Please,” the Fetch murmurs, groveling at his feet.
I narrow my gaze, completely baffled.
What on earth is his dad?
What other powers could he possibly possess that would make the Fetch cower under his presence this way?
“Please—you have to understand. I only wanted what should be rightfully mine,” Wade’s voice quivers as the Fetch tries to reason.
Beside me, Wade’s spirit shakes his head, covering his mouth with his hand. “That won’t go down well.”
“Of all the beings to displace, you chose very poorly,” Wade’s dad says, extending the arm with the grimoire in it. It floats from his hand, landing softly on the pedestal in the middle of the room. As it makes its way to its rightful place, the pedestal vanishes into the floor.
Whatever power it possesses is evidently not an allure for him.
The Fetch stands, looking longingly at it, but turns back to Wade’s dad. “It wasn’t about this body. I just—I needed to do something to stop the necromancer. Surely you can understand. She has the power to ruin everything. Please. Please just help me.”
The Windhaven Witches Omnibus Edition : Complete Paranormal Suspense Series, Books 1-4 Page 43