by Nina Perez
Footsteps approached the top of the stairs and the basement door opened. Something bumped and rolled its way down the stairs and landed in a heap on the floor. At first, Violet thought it was a duffel or trash bag. She struggled to lean forward for a better look. She squinted and then gasped. Jack was lying at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious.
“You’ve saved me a lot of time, Jack. For that, I thank you.”
Before Jack came to, Grace had used the same spell to levitate him against the wall next to Violet. He woke up groggy and calling Violet’s name. Grace waved her hand once more and said, “Voce.”
Violet was able to speak. “I’m here, Jack.”
Jack slowly turned his head in Violet’s direction and managed a small smile. “Good. I thought you were dead.”
“Oh, not yet, sweetheart, but soon. It’s good to see you again, Jack. It’s been awhile.”
Violet turned her head towards Jack, confused. “You know her?”
“I knew her as Sylvia Decklan, my mother’s boss. She’s really…”
“I know who she really is,” Violet’s contempt was palpable. “She pretended to be my parents’ friend while she was poisoning them, controlling them.”
Grace crossed her arms and shook her head in disbelief. “I can tell that you don’t fully appreciate the beauty of what I’ve done. Do you know how hard it was pretending to be some simple, middle-aged lady who baked all the damn time? Do you know how many times I wanted to just snap my fingers and kill your mother on the spot every time she came over here whining about her hours at the hospital or how you were doing in school with your dyslexia? Sadly, you’ve inherited her flair for making every problem sound as if the world were ending. Blah, blah, blah. Meanwhile, she had no qualms about letting The Trust murder my children.”
Grace turned to Jack, “And you. Your father was the son of the great Thomas Morrow and you’d hardly know it to look at him. As disgusting as I find the idea of using humans to hunt our kind and then treat them as if they are special because of it, I cannot deny the extraordinary achievements of both your grandfathers. Few tangle with our kind and live as long as they did. Your father had no appreciation - just as you two have no appreciation - for the gifts you were given.”
She stepped closer to Jack and Violet, putting her face close to theirs. “And make no mistake. Those souls you have inside of you? Those are gifts. And I want them back.”
Chapter Twenty
It All Made Sense
Grace had been upstairs for a long time. Jack discovered, just as Violet had, that trying to move only made the binding spell worse. His cell phone was in his jacket pocket, but he couldn’t reach it. He could do little more than wiggle his fingers.
“Are you okay?” he asked Violet.
She started to answer when they heard Grace returning. She walked over to a table by the shelves of jars and placed onto it a silver bowl and something wrapped in a piece of cloth. She opened the cloth to reveal a dagger. Grace walked towards the children, flickers of candlelight dancing along the blade revealing symbols on the metal. The pearl handle had the same symbols carved into it.
“This has been a long time coming. When The Trust came for my beautiful children, I was badly injured. My magical powers were diminished substantially. It took me several years to heal and gain back even a fraction of my powers. After several more years, I was able to locate information on the spell they’d used on Lincoln and Ashlyn. I knew that only powerful Fairies could be responsible for such magic, so I found one I could torture for the details.”
“The next part was much harder. I knew that the souls had to be placed inside another person, an unborn child, and that it had to be done quickly. What I didn’t anticipate was that Tesla would turn to humans. He loved them too much and I couldn’t imagine a human ever agreeing to such a thing. But I underestimated both their stupidity and Tesla’s ability to rally humans to the cause. Then, a miracle happened in the form of an ally: someone who knew where the souls of my children were - someone Tesla trusted - but more importantly, someone who knew how to get the souls back!”
Grace twirled the dagger in her hands as she paced, caught up in her own story. “I watched your families for months, trying to figure a way in. When my ally told me that if anything were to happen to your parents they foolishly wished for you to be cared for by Tesla, I knew what I had to do. The death of your parents would accelerate the emergence of your powers, but living together would make them stronger. I knew it would be harder to get to you once you lived with Tesla, but I had to take that chance. ”
She threw her head back and laughed. It reminded Violet of her dream about Ashlyn. She couldn’t see it before, but it was clear now: they were so much alike - they moved the same, they had the same laugh, and they both called her sweetheart.
“Violet, imagine my delight when you kept coming here, over and over again. I could have taken you anytime I wanted, and it was even better that you were keeping your visits a secret. It made everything easier than I ever could have hoped.”
Grace went over to the shelves and opened several jars of herbs. She sprinkled a bit from each into the silver bowl. She carried the dagger and bowl over to where the children were pinned to the wall and stood in front of Violet. “My ally received the reports on the two of you. I know what you can do. And I know that you, sweetheart, are much stronger than Jack. So, I will start with you. I will reclaim Ashlyn’s soul first.”
“You’re just as insane as you are evil. What good will taking our souls do? Huh? What? You gonna put them in one your dirty jars over there?” Jack sneered.
Grace smiled at him patiently. “I guess I forgot to mention the best part. See, I needed this dagger, this bowl, and these ingredients. I know the spell. The only thing missing was the most important part. Or, parts, I should say.” She walked back to the table and placed the dagger and bowl on it. “Violet, remember when I said I was going to be with my children for the holidays?”
Grace approached the curtain and gathered one end in her hand. “Well, Christmas has come early.” With a flourish she pulled the curtain back, giving Jack and Violet a clear view of Lincoln and Ashlyn Bale.
It all made sense. What was taken from The Facility was right in front of Jack and Violet, a few feet away in a red velvet dress and black suit, each strapped to a gurney and looking like they were simply sleeping.
“You’re insane,” Jack said, not taking his eyes off the twins.
“No. I’m a mother who would do anything for her children.” Grace was staring at the twins also; a look of pride on her face. “I would do anything to bring my children back.”
Grace retrieved the dagger and the bowl and walked over to Violet. By the time Jack realized what she was about to do, he cried out, “No!” It was too late. Grace whispered, “Tollere,” and Violet’s shirt rose, exposing her bare stomach. Grace sliced Violet across the midsection and placed the silver bowl beneath the wound. Violet screamed. Grace ignored her and continued to chant, “Anime dimittere ita reddantur.”
Violet felt a burning on her stomach and the warmth of the blood as it left her body. She was still unable to move anything but her head. Violet closed her eyes and began to recite the defense spell. “Defendo adversus magicas. Defendo contra sermons tuos. Mea me defendet magicae.”
Grace stopped chanting and laughed. “So, Tesla taught you something after all. Too bad you’re not strong enough, foolish girl.”
Violet ignored her, and without opening her eyes, continued to recite the spell. “Vox est defensionis. Defendo adversus magicas.”
Jack looked down at the bowl. The blood had started to bubble as it came into contact with the herbs inside. He thought about what Dr. Tesla had said. The twins were always more powerful when they were together. It was the only shot they had, so he started to recite the spell, too. “Defendo contra sermons tuos. Mea me defendet magicae.” Violet opened her eyes and looked at Jack. The look of pain and fear on her face almost made him sto
p. Grace, however, did stop chanting. Jack thought she was going to taunt them again, but he saw nothing but shock on her face. He chanted louder. “Defendo adversus magicas!”
A small, blue square of light appeared in front of Grace. It grew wider and taller until it made a wall between her and the children. It was like the energy field that Violet had put up against Kalina, but bigger and brighter.
Grace was thrown backwards and landed on the floor in front of Lincoln and Ashlyn. She dropped the bowl, splattering blood all over the walls and floor. The spell broken, Jack and Violet fell to the floor, landing hard. They never stopped chanting. Jack removed his jacket and one of his shirts. He balled up the shirt and pressed it to Violet’s wound. Within moments it was warm, wet, and almost completely covered in blood.
Violet was barely able to keep her eyes open. She felt the blood pouring from her body and as it did, she felt herself slipping further away. But she did not stop chanting. “Mea me defendet magicae.” Grace scrambled to her feet and charged toward the children.
“Stop it! Shut your filthy mouths!” She stopped in her tracks, staring at Jack’s hands.
Jack’s t-shirt was useless to stop the flow of blood. He was too panicked and afraid to do anything other than apply pressure to Violet’s wound and recite the spell over and over. Grace was still staring at his hands. He saw fear on her face and looked down. Only then did he stop reciting. Beneath his hands was a bright, yellow pulsating light and it was spreading across Violet’s stomach.
With Jack otherwise occupied and Violet fading, the blue defense wall disappeared. Grace rushed forward once again with her arm raised, poised to cast a spell. A flash of brilliant red light came from her right, struck her in the torso and sent her sailing backwards once more. This time, she landed on top of Lincoln’s prone body.
Jack looked in the direction from which the light had appeared. Dr. Tesla was halfway down the basement stairs, his arms raised in Grace’s direction, with red balls of fire where his hands should have been.
Chapter Twenty-One
More Powerful When They Were Together
Violet was still reciting the defense spell, her voice barely above a whisper. Jack watched as the yellow light completely covered her wound. He could feel that the light was coming from his hands. He pressed harder and Violet moaned.
“I’m sorry, Vi.” Jack said, but did not remove his hands.
Grace, wild-eyed and covered in Violet’s blood cast one last glare at the children, then Dr. Tesla, and put a hand each on Lincoln and Ashlyn. She yelled “Sancta!” The three of them disappeared and in their place was a wall of fire. It quickly spread to the shelves on the wall. The jars exploded, spraying glass, fluids, and herbs everywhere.
Dr. Tesla lifted his arm to protect his face from the fire and descended the stairs. His hands were back to normal. “Kalina, now.” He said this barely above a whisper, but in an instant, Kalina was there. She knelt in front of Jack and Violet and paused when she saw the light coming from Jack’s hands.
“I can take her now, Jack,” Kalina shouted over the roar of the flames.
Jack wouldn’t let go. Dr. Tesla touched the top of his head. “Jack,” he said, “Let Kalina get you out of here.”
“What about you?” Jack asked.
“I’ll be right behind you.”
Kalina gently removed Jack’s hand from Violet’s stomach. Her wound was considerably smaller. She wrapped one of his arms around her shoulder and lifted. Jack felt himself being pulled forward, there was a massive push of air against his face, and then he was standing outside, in a backyard.
Kalina removed his arm from her shoulder. “Don’t move.” And then she was gone. Jack looked around. He was in the backyard of Violet’s parent’s house. A moment later, Kalina was standing next to him, placing Violet on the ground. Her eyes were fluttering and she mumbled incoherently. Black smoke poured from the windows next door.
“Where’s Dr. Tesla?” Jack asked.
“Shh!” Kalina cocked her head to one side, listening. Jack looked around, but didn’t see or hear anything.
“Very well,” Kalina said. “Let’s go.”
Jack rode in the backseat of Dr. Tesla’s car, with Violet’s head in his lap. Her wound was now almost completely healed and she’d stopped trying to talk. Her eyes were closed, but Kalina assured him that she was going to be fine.
“She’s been through a lot. Her body needs to rest and heal from the inside.”
They arrived at the house in record time. Kalina drove as fast as she ran. Ms. Sweet met them at the door as Kalina carried Violet inside. She headed for the living room calling over her shoulder, “Ms. Sweet, Dr. Tesla wants you to prepare the house.”
“I’ve already begun.” Ms. Sweet’s silver hair was pinned on top of her head and she wore a black cloak. Jack did a double-take at her feet. She was barefoot and heading outside into the cold.
“Of course you have.” Kalina smiled. Jack followed her into the living room.
“Prepare the house? What does that mean?”
“She’s going to cast a protective spell around it.”
“Is she a witch?”
“She’s a fairy. A pretty damn powerful one, at that.”
“Oh.” It was all he could think to say.
Kalina placed Violet on the sofa and lifted her shirt. There was no sign that she’d ever been cut. “Nice work,” Kalina said, looking at Jack.
“I… I don’t know how I did that. I’ve never done that before. I swear. I didn’t even know I could.”
“Well, you’re just full of surprises.”
Jack went around to the back of the sofa and leaned over Violet. “Are you sure she’s going to be okay?”
“Yes. What about you? Are you hurt?”
Jack instinctively put his hands to his stomach. “No. She didn’t get a chance to… start on me.”
“I suppose I should also thank you.”
“Thank me?”
Kalina stood. “Yes, fresh flowing blood is hard for even the strongest vampire to ignore.”
Jack swallowed. “Right. You’re welcome.”
Kalina tilted her hand again and then started to speak.
“I know. I know. You’ll be right back.” Jack said. Kalina walked to the doorway and then disappeared.
From outside, it sounded like a giant bird was hovering by the window, flapping massive wings. Jack cautiously made his way to the window and slowly pulled back the shade to look outside. At first, all he saw was light. He shielded his eyes with a hand and looked higher. Just above the trees in the backyard, Ms. Sweet was in the air. She appeared to be nude, but as Jack looked closer he saw that it was more complicated than that. She wasn’t wearing clothes, but something covered her skin. Jack blinked and realized that her body was the source of the light. Countless rays emanated from her skin, like they were coming out of her pores.
On her back, two large, white, feathery wings flapped in the wind. Her head was tilted backwards and her silver hair flowed behind her, nearly reaching her feet. After a few moments, the light extinguished and she drifted to the ground. Her wings folded around her body and she bent to retrieve her cloak from the dirt. She wrapped the cloak around herself and started for the house.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jack whispered. From the sofa, Violet moaned and Jack rushed to her side, sitting on the edge of the cushions.
“Violet? Can you hear me?”
She looked more like herself than she had when they first escaped from the burning house, but she was still quite pale. Jack took her hand and felt that it was cold and clammy. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but just in case, I want you to know I’m here.”
Jack felt Violet squeeze his hand and he squeezed hers in return.
When Kalina returned a few moments later, Dr. Tesla was with her. He was covered in soot and brought the smell of smoke in with him. He carried the silver bowl stained with blood and the other remnants of the interrupted spell in
one hand, and the bloody dagger in the other. He placed both on the coffee table and rushed to Violet’s side.
“She can hear me,” Jack said. “She squeezed my hand.”
“That’s a good sign,” Dr. Tesla said, as he took Violet’s pulse and looked at his watch. Jack stared at his hands - hands that had been blazing fireballs not twenty minutes ago. “She needs to rest though. The enchantments are done so she should be fine resting here, but still, I’ll have Ms. Sweet sit with her while we take this in my office. Shall we?”
Jack hadn’t seen or heard her arrive, but Ms. Sweet was in the doorway. She’d tied up her silver hair once again and wore her usual work uniform and tennis shoes. For a moment Jack wondered if he had imagined what he’d seen, but he knew that he hadn’t. “Thank you, Ms. Sweet,” he said. She simply nodded.
Jack followed Kalina and Dr. Tesla into the office. Dr. Tesla placed the bowl and dagger on his desk. Jack was too wired to sit so he chose to stand by the window. Kalina sat in front of Dr. Tesla’s desk, while he sat behind it.
“She stole their bodies from the facility, didn’t she?” Jack asked.
Dr. Tesla nodded, “Yes. She did. How did you and Violet come to be at that house tonight?”
“Didn’t you get my message?”
“Not right away. I just listened to the basics - that you believed Violet was in trouble in the house next to where she used to live and that Grace Bale was responsible – before we were on our way. Now, what happened?”
“A few weeks ago, Violet had a dream about Ashlyn, or she thought it was Ashlyn. The woman in her dream told her that she and her brother were coming for their souls. I thought Violet was just dreaming about how she imagined Ashlyn looked, but she was convinced that it was really her even though she’d never seen so much as a photograph of the woman. So, we…”