"He tried to kill me!" he burst out, and immediately flinched from the noise of his own voice.
"Hmm," said Niall, still staring forward.
"He—why?"
"Because you shouldn't have been there." Niall shot a withering glare at Cohen. "I told you to stay out of it."
Cohen sighed sharply and leaned forward. He felt like his body was creaking. "All right, fine, you're mad at me. I was stupid, but you can't expect me to just sit by and let you get hurt. You need to tell me what's going on. Did he really see into your mind?"
"Yeah," said Niall. He leaned forward as he turned a corner, and then sat back again, his arm held straight and gripping the steering wheel. "I saw his too though; that was kind of the point. He just got past my defences. But at least I know what he's doing now."
He was silent again, staring at the road.
"Well?" prompted Cohen. "Go on."
Niall made an exasperated noise and glared at Cohen again. "Cohen, I told you I didn't want you involved in this!"
"Then you shouldn't have picked me up at the train station!"
"I know that!" Niall shouted and Cohen slumped back, cowed by his outburst. "And believe me, I'm sorry I did."
"Well," said Cohen, trying and failing not to take Niall's claim personally. "That's stupid. You'd be in jail if you hadn't, and you wouldn't have been able to stop him anyway."
"That's what he wants." Niall sighed. "He wanted to set me up for the murders, so I'd get put in jail and be out of the way. The police have a record that I was involved with you, so if you're dead, I'm obviously going to be the prime suspect. Again." He gritted his teeth.
"So that's why he tried to kill me," confirmed Cohen.
"No." Niall shook his head. "I mean, yes, but there's more. I saw in his head, the Druids set up a ritual for the release of the Titan. The need has to be great enough that you're willing to sacrifice people for it. I already knew that, but it looks like there are specific people that have to be sacrificed."
"That's what he was going on about; father, child—"
"Sage, lover, witch," finished Niall. "He killed a father and a child, and then your lawyer. Took their hearts and sacrificed them. I saw the altar."
Cohen shuddered. "So it's just lover and witch."
"And now he's got specific ones in mind for them," said Niall. "He wants Kathleen for the witch. I saw it in his head; he's hell-bent on using her, getting his revenge that way. He's..." He gritted his teeth. "He's getting emotional, getting bent on ideas. He does that. He needs it to be Kathleen, that's why he did magic outside of the circle, so she'd know where we are and come."
"But he doesn't have the lover yet."
"He's running out of time, he has to do them by the full moon. He thought he had the lover. He was going to use you."
"But—" Cohen jerked forward, earning another throb of pain from his head. "He doesn't need to use me! He could get any lover, all he has to do is sacrifice them before Kathleen gets here. Niall, you have to stop him."
Niall swallowed. "I told you, he gets bent on ideas. I think he's probably stuck on the lover being you."
"You think?" said Cohen. "Did you see that in his head, or are you just guessing?"
"I'm just guessing, but I know him."
"Niall that's not good enough. He could be out there killing someone right now! You need to go stop him!"
"What, and just leave you here?" Niall gestured and Cohen realised that Niall had pulled up in front of the Coughton. "What if he's coming after you? I have to protect you!"
"You have to protect me because you're absolutely sure it's me he's after?" asked Cohen. "Or because you think he might be after me, and you'd rather protect me than save everyone else?"
"Cohen—"
"You need to answer me, Niall."
"We need to get inside." Niall opened his door and jumped out, slamming it behind him. Cohen fumbled with his seat belt and jumped out after him.
"Niall!" Cohen ran after Niall, grabbing his arm and tugging him back to look at him. "Answer me."
"I don't know, all right?" said Niall through gritted teeth. "I don't know anything except I don't want to lose you."
I don't want to lose me, either!" said Cohen. He could feel his eyes wide with fear, and his body was shaking. "I am terrified right now, but there are more important things than me."
"I know." Niall shut his eyes for a long moment. Then he opened them again and pulled Cohen into a kiss. Cohen felt himself melt into him, and he wanted to get away, just leave with Niall, go somewhere they would be safe, forget everything else. "I just can't do this."
"You have to," said Cohen. They couldn't run away. Not from this.
"What if I leave you here and he comes after you?"
"He doesn't know where I am, does he? He doesn't know where I live."
"He can find out, Cohen. You're not safe alone."
"Well then..." Cohen could feel his heart sink into his gut. His head was throbbing again, and all he wanted to do was sleep. "I have to stay with you. It's the only way to keep me safe."
Niall nodded. "All right. But I'm getting you another talisman. Then we'll try and see if we can find him. But I can't promise we will."
"We have to try," said Cohen.
"I know."
Chapter Nine
"Where are you going?" Warren looked up at Kathleen as she stood suddenly, shoving the chair back with a screech. "Are you all right?"
"Fine," she waved a hand at him distractedly. "Fine, fine, I just need some air."
"Well," he glanced from Kathleen back to Mina. She lay in the hospital bed, asleep for now, though the tubes feeding into her nose and mouth meant it was restless. "Don't be long."
"I know. I won't be." Breathe, she had to breathe. She left the room quickly, her heels clacking on the linoleum floor, and stepped out into the hallway, taking deep breaths of sour-tasting air. She leaned up against the wall and turned her head to the side, her eyes locking onto the red painted fire-alarm next to her face without really seeing it at all.
For a moment her mind went blank and all she could do was stare and breathe. Then she snapped back to reality and turned, striding back into the hospital room.
"Everything all right?" asked Warren as she reached for her purse and pulled out her mobile.
"Yes, fine," she said again, pulling up the contact number and dialling. "I've got to go though, I... I remembered something about work."
"You remembered something about work?" Warren stood up to look at her, his tone disgusted and his face full of betrayal. "Kathleen, what could possibly be more important than this?"
"It's just something I remembered, I have to try—"
He strode up to her and took her face in his hands. The phone had finished dialling, and she could hear it ringing on the other side. "Kathleen, please don't. They let you go, remember? They won't help us anymore."
"I..." She could feel her face twisting, and fought back tears. "I have to go."
"Don't," he whispered. "It's over. There's nothing we can do for her now except be here."
Her phone clicked and a tinny voice answered. "Hello?"
"Yes." Kathleen lifted the phone to her face and tore herself away from Warren. He lifted his arms as she left and held them in the air in a gesture of helplessness.
"Kathleen!" he shouted as she swept out of the room, and she heard him make a wordless cry of outrage and desperation. She wished he wouldn't. He would wake Mina.
"H-hello," she said, attempting to mask the shakiness of her voice with professionalism. "It's Kathleen Singh. I'm picking up something on my instruments."
"Yes," sighed the man on the other end. "We've picked it up as well. I'm sending a team out."
"No!" She shoved her way into the stairwell, all but running down the stairs. "It's my responsibility; I'll take care of it."
"Singh, you no longer work for us actively, do you recall?"
"So bring me back in." There was silence on the other end. She finished des
cending and slammed the door open, stepping outside. "Craske!"
She heard Craske sigh. "Fine, Singh, you have two days to locate the fugitives and bring them in. I'm only allowing this because you're still my best operative and I trust your methods. If they disappear again, there will be hell to pay, and I mean that."
"I understand, sir."
There was a call waiting. She hung up on Craske and checked the call display. It was Warren. She pulled her keys out of her pocket and unlocked her car, sliding into the driver's seat and staring at the picture on the screen. Warren was pretending to smile in it. He was good at it, but she always knew. She pressed ignore and started the car.
*~*~*
They drove for hours, up and down every street in Witton, until Cohen could have sworn he'd memorised them all. Eventually he began to nod off, his head slumping against the seat belt, his hand clutching Niall's for reassurance. He knew he should keep his eyes open, stare into the darkness ahead and around, but it was so very difficult. He didn't know how long he'd been asleep for when Niall suddenly slammed on the breaks. Cohen jerked forward, the seatbelt locking and thumping him back against the seat. His head throbbed. "Oww..." he whispered, touching a hand to the back of his head where a lump was forming. "What is it?"
"Shh," said Niall. "I think I saw something." He pointed ahead. A walkway led into a wooded park next to an old, dark house. "I think..." He pursed his lips, peering into the darkness. "I'm going to check it out," he said finally. "Stay here."
"Are you kidding? I'm coming with you in case someone tries to kill me."
Niall sighed. "Fine." He opened the door and jumped out. "Quiet," he said, shutting the door gently, and Cohen copied him.
Niall reached to grab Cohen's hand as they walked, and they slid in between the trees down the dark path. It was dark enough that Cohen could barely see Niall's face, and the shadows were inky black. They might have been full of demons and Cohen would never know.
The wind picked up again and Cohen thought he heard a snap. "What was that?" he squeaked, swinging his head around.
"Cohen!" shouted Niall, and suddenly Cohen felt leaves and branches tangling around his arms and legs. Something hard and alive wound around his legs, lifting him off the ground, and a heavy branch slipped around his middle, painfully tight. He screamed Niall's name, but more branches crept across his face, and the bitter taste of leaves filled his mouth. He screamed, the sound muffled, and tears came to his eyes. He tried not to struggle, but he could feel himself panicking. God, he was going to die, he was going to suffocate!
Niall screamed Cohen's name again and lunged at the branches, trying to pull them off with his bare hands, and then with burning magic, his hands flaming, but failing to burn anything but Cohen. The tree began to grip him tighter and Cohen gave a muffled scream of pain.
"You'll only make it worse that way," said a voice, and Niall whipped around, magical fire pulsing from his hands. Cohen saw his eyes go wide and strained to see the figure who had spoken. It was a woman.
"Kathleen," said Niall, and Cohen saw him falter and take a step back. "Let him go!"
Mercifully, the branches around Cohen began to loosen, and the leaves receded from his mouth. Cohen coughed, desperately drawing in ragged breaths. There was a pain in his chest and his mouth felt dry. He turned his head to see Kathleen, and in the light still glowing from Niall's hands, he could see that she was small and delicate, her white-blonde hair pulled back from her face, and her expression hard. She was dressed more like a businesswoman than a witch.
She tilted her head at Niall's glowing hands. "Put that away."
"Why?" hissed Niall. "No point in hiding it now, you know where I am."
"Well yes," said Kathleen. "But if you try to fight me, I will kill him." She nodded in Cohen's direction, and Cohen felt the branches tighten around his middle again. He tried not to struggle, not to panic.
Niall was breathing heavily through his nose. "Fine," he said. "Let him go, and I won't fight you. But," he took a step forward, "you need to listen to me. Jacky is going to do something terrible, and we have to stop him."
Kathleen's eyes narrowed. "What?"
"I saw into his mind," said Niall. "He wants to destroy the Guild. He's summoning something to do it."
"And why should I believe you?"
"I'm telling the truth," said Niall. He let his hands drop to his sides, and the glow disappeared, leaving them all in darkness. "You can look in my mind, if you want."
"Maybe I will," said Kathleen. "I've trained myself, you know. You won't take my mind again."
"I don't want to," said Niall. "I'm telling the truth, I swear."
"He is," said Cohen. His voice sounded weak and thin in the darkness. He saw Kathleen turn her head to look at him for a moment.
"Fine," she said finally. She uncrossed her arms and took a step towards Niall, lifting her hands to touch either side of his face. For a moment there was silence, and then she stepped back with a tsk.
"That boy's mind is a mad house."
"He's troubled," said Niall, and Kathleen laughed.
"Oh, don't make excuses for him, Niall, we haven't time for that."
"We?" said Niall warily.
"Yes," said Kathleen. "I'm going to need your help to stop him, I think. I'm doing this for my daughter, you know. It's your fault she's dying now. But, if I bring you and Jacky to them, the Guild might take pity on her." She snapped her fingers, and Cohen felt the branches around him begin to recede. Niall rushed to Cohen and helped pull the last of them off of him.
"So you'll help us because if the Guild is destroyed, they won't be able to help your daughter," said Niall. He finished releasing Cohen, who slumped into his arms. Niall felt warm, although his body was stiff, and Cohen clung to him, choking back tears.
"It's in my best interests," said Kathleen, seeming entirely unconcerned with Cohen. "But after this I am turning you both in, and that's that."
"Well, I'm sorry," said Niall, "but I'm going to run again."
"Yes, I know you are. And I'm going to stop you this time, on my life."
Cohen coughed. His throat and chest felt raw. He wanted to be home, in his bed, not out in the darkness with killer trees and psycho murderers. Niall finished brushing leaves from Cohen's hair and touched his cheek. "I'm sorry, Cohen, you have to be strong."
"I know, I know," whispered Cohen. "I'm okay."
"Hurry up, we don't have forever." Kathleen was already heading back to the street, and they hurriedly followed her.
"Kathleen," Niall said. "Jacky wants to kill you. He summoned you here because he wants to use you as the last sacrifice."
Kathleen stopped walking, and turned to look at them again. "I'm aware."
"I'll try to stop him, is all," said Niall.
"Oh," said Kathleen, and Cohen could see a small smile on her face despite the darkness. "You think that'll make up for what you did to me? To Mina?"
"I don't understand," interrupted Cohen. "Your daughter is really the only thing you care about? She's not the only person in the world."
"She's the only important thing to me," said Kathleen. "Perhaps one day you'll have children of your own, and you'll see. Or..." She eyed Cohen. "Perhaps not." She stepped forward suddenly and held a hand to Cohen's temple. Cohen flinched, and for a moment his vision went white. He could see nothing, feel nothing, only a race of emotions and jumbled thoughts. Then Kathleen's hand retreated and she tsked. "You've got protections on you," she said, turning away and continuing to walk. "Set by the Guild. I can't bypass them. I saw enough, though. Poor, lonely little boy, trapped in a body that's all wrong. Do you really think you'll ever be free?"
"That's not how it works," said Cohen. "You don't understand people at all, do you?"
"Don't," Niall cut in. "Don't even talk to her, Cohen."
They stepped out onto the road and Kathleen crossed her arms, tapping her fingers impatiently. "We're wasting time. Niall, I can track down Jacky the same way I tracked
you down, but your little boyfriend will only get in the way. We need to put him somewhere Jacky won't look for him. I'd love to place a spell on him so we'd know if Jacky was attacking him, but unfortunately, I can't, so we need to hide him."
"What, you want me to just hang out in the shrubbery?" snapped Cohen.
"Do you have any friends in town?" Kathleen asked. "Someone Jacky won't know about?"
"I just moved here, I don't really know anyone." Cohen thought. "I guess maybe Myrna might let me stay at her place."
Niall looked confused. "Myrna? The Police Chief? Are you friends with her?"
"That's good enough for me," sighed Kathleen. "If you didn't know about it, then neither will Jacky." She glanced at Cohen. "Will she let you stay with her?"
"Well... probably, if I explain."
"Do her a favour and don't," said Kathleen. "Let's go, we don't have time for any of this. Jacky could be acquiring the next sacrifice as we speak."
*~*~*
"It's not a matter of trusting you," said Myrna, leading Cohen down the hallway. "It's needing to know whether or not my children are safe. Now, Kelsie is at her boyfriend's for the night, so I don't need to worry about her. This is her bedroom, you can sleep in it, but—" She slammed an arm in front of the door just as Cohen was about to enter. "Not until you tell me exactly what's going on."
Cohen felt like he was going to cry. "Myrna, I'm exhausted."
"You look exhausted; you look like you've been through hell."
"I have," said Cohen. "But, Myrna, I really can't explain."
"I really think you can." Myrna's face was unsympathetic and unimpressed. "Is it something illegal? Are you wanted for smuggling drugs?"
"It's nothing like that, I just..." Cohen sighed. He wanted so badly to go to bed. Maybe Myrna would let him sleep if he told her. Or she'd take him to a padded room and he could sleep there. "It's... Niall—"
"Why doesn't that surprise me?"
"He's gotten into something bad. There's an organisation that was doing experiments on him, and they're after him, and there's another escaped prisoner who wants to kill me along with everyone else in the organisation."
"And this isn't a matter to be entrusted to the police because..."
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