by Sarra Cannon
Mom narrowed her eyes at me, her entire forehead wrinkling. She leaned against the edge of the stone stairway. “I don't understand—”
“My whole life you kept my powers a secret,” I said. “You made me feel ashamed of myself for having these abilities, always warning me not to use my power or to let anyone know what I was capable of. Why? It was because of him, wasn't it? Because of his darkness?”
She lifted a hand to her mouth and sat down on the steps. “Franki, I just need you to come with me now,” she said softly, her voice barely more than a whisper.
“You have to see this from my point of view,” I said. “You abandon me without a word three years ago and now you show up out of nowhere, asking me to trust you. If you really want me to trust you, you have to give me this one thing. This one truth.”
She shook her head and avoided my eyes. Her shoulders shook with sobs. “Okay,” she said. When she looked up, it was Rend's eyes she met, not mine. “You have to understand that I didn't know who he was when I met him. You have to know that I had no idea the things he was capable of.”
Rend's eyes darkened. “Who?”
She turned to me. “Your father was a vampire,” she said. “A very powerful one by the name of Solomon.”
Rend gasped and backed away from the altar. “Solomon is Franki's father?”
My eyes widened. The name meant nothing to me, but Rend's face said it all. He actually looked frightened.
“Who is Solomon?” I asked.
“One of the original founders of the Brotherhood of Darkness,” Rend said. He met my eyes and I could see the disbelief inside. “Solomon is the Devil's brother, Franki.”
My mouth fell open and I brought a hand to my heart. “What? You're telling me I'm related to the Devil?”
“Technically, he's your uncle,” Mom said. “You have to see why I could never tell you about him. You would have wanted to know more. You would have wanted to meet him or find him, and I couldn't explain to you what had happened to him or why you could never know him.”
“What happened to him?”
“Franki, I know you want answers, but if the Devil comes through that door, none of us will leave here alive,” she said. “I can explain everything to you once we get inside.”
I nodded, my hands numb from holding them in such tight fists against my ribcage. My father was a demon. A vampire. The darkness I had struggled with my entire life was his darkness.
Mom stood and reached for my hand.
I stared at it a moment, feeling that I finally understood why she had kept all this from me. Maybe it was true that I had been too hard on her. Maybe I had been seeing her from the wrong eyes all this time.
I put my hand in hers and followed her down the stairs, trusting her for the first time since I was a child.
The room beneath the altar was so dark I couldn't see anything more than the outline of what looked to be furniture arranged in rows.
Mom released my hand. “Wait here a second,” she said. She descended the final steps and a few seconds later, lit a match that sparked red in the darkness. She used the match to light a small candle at the base of the stairs that illuminated the entire room with a deep red glow.
“The Mother Crow put a series of traps in place down here,” she said. “The candle disables them, so it's safe to come down now.”
I looked around, seeing now that the furniture was actually rows and rows of bookcases. “What is this place? A library?”
“All the spells and history of the crows,” she said. She moved toward the corner under the stairs. “The door is this way.”
I glanced back at Rend and he nodded, but looked worried. We were putting our lives in her hands, not even knowing where we might end up next.
She led us to a wall that looked like solid stone. No doorway in sight.
Silently, she placed both her palms on the smooth stone, her eyes closed. In an instant, the outline of a door appeared, the wing of a crow carved into its center.
I gasped, reaching forward to run my fingers along the wing. It looked nearly identical to the one carved on the doorway in the hall at Venom. The door there had been made of wood, but the symbol was the same. I wondered if they led to the same place, but before I could ask, Mom pushed on the stone and it gave way, revealing a small dark hallway.
She took my hand and pulled me through.
I stepped around her and peered into the darkness. Rather than a long hall of nearly endless doorways, there was only a handful here, just as she had said.
I turned back just as Rend approached the doorway. He stepped forward, but slammed against an invisible barrier. His forehead wrinkled and he pushed his hands against the spot where the door had been. Again, they hit a barrier like glass, completely see-through, but very real.
Horror flashed in his eyes and he reared back, ramming the barrier with all his might. He shifted to smoke and tried again, but the door would not let him through.
I reached for him, thinking that maybe it was like the entrance to the crow village. Maybe I had to be holding his hand to pull him through.
But my mother pushed me backwards with such strength, it took my breath away. My body slammed against the wall behind me, stars exploding in my vision as my head hit stone. I screamed as the realization of betrayal finally dawned on me.
I ran toward the door, knowing in that moment, that I had made a very terrible mistake trusting my mother.
I watched as my mother's face drew up into a horrible smile.
She slammed the door closed before I could get there, closing me off from Rend. And locking me inside with her.
Chapter 4
Betrayal
I pounded my fist against the stone.
“What have you done?” I shouted. “We have to go back.”
My mother placed her hand on my chest and pushed me again. Where had she gotten such strength? She stepped in front of the door, that evil smile still plastered on her face. I wanted to rip it off her.
“Get out of my way,” I said. A fierce wind blew her back against the door.
She raised her eyebrows. “You always had such a temper,” she said. “I'm glad to see your power has been growing. It's going to come in handy when you die.”
Fury consumed me and I reached back, gathering my power in my hands. I threw it back at her in a rage, the power of it knocking her to her knees. I walked over and lifted my foot to her shoulder, kicking as hard as I could. She cried out and fell to the ground beside the door.
I searched for a handle, but the door was smooth except for the cracks that outlined its shape. I placed my palms flat against the wall like I'd seen her do inside and to my relief, it opened toward me.
I stepped out of the way of the moving door, prepared to rush through to Rend on the other side.
Only, it wasn't Rend who stood there.
The crow library had been replaced by a room made of deep gray stones. There, just on the other side of the opening, stood the Devil, his eyes red and hungry.
I stepped back and reached for the edge of the door, but it was too late.
He grabbed my arm with one hand and placed the other on my forehead. I struggled against him, but he was too powerful. Too strong.
“Sleep,” he said.
A bright light flashed across my vision. My knees gave out and my body went limp. The Devil's arms encircled me, and even though I fought it with everything I had inside, sleep beckoned—its call too strong to resist.
The last thing I saw before darkness consumed me was the image of my mother's satisfied smile of betrayal.
Chapter 5
REND: Brotherhood
The moment my body slammed against the invisible barrier, I knew I had lost her.
I had never felt so powerless. Or so consumed by rage.
I pushed, clawed, and drove every ounce of my power toward that doorway, but there was no breaking through. That witch had known exactly what she was doing, and we had played into it like blind
children.
The stone door slammed closed, cutting Franki off from me entirely. The door's outline disappeared, leaving nothing more than a smooth stone wall. Without Crow blood in my veins, there was no way to make the door reopen. A roar escaped from me, shaking the books from their cases.
How could I have let this happen?
I had promised to protect her. I never should have let her go through the door first. What was I thinking?
My gut had told me not to trust her mother. Something had felt off about her behavior from the moment she stepped into the crow village. I should have trusted that, but I had let myself be ruled by fear and desperation.
Without my normal level of power, there was no way I could defeat the Devil in a direct fight. I had been so anxious to see Franki and make sure she really was safe that I hadn't brought any of my potions with me to Peachville. I had been completely unprepared and now Franki's life was in more danger than ever.
I had to find my way to her.
I shifted to my demon form and flew up the stairs and out into the village. I crossed the barrier and didn't stop until I had reached Brighton Manor. I had no idea how much time I had until the Devil carried out his plans, but I was now sure Franki's mother had been a part of his game all along.
He never had been on his way to the crow village. He wouldn't have risked getting tied up with Harper and her friends. He would want Franki brought to him. If there was going to be a fight, he would want it fought on his terms. His turf.
I banged on the back door. The moment it opened, I barreled into the kitchen where Harper, Jackson and a handful of others were just sitting down to breakfast.
Harper stood, pushing her chair back. “What is it?”
My jaw tensed. I hated even to admit what I had let happen, but there was no avoiding it now. I was going to need all the help I could get, and the group here in Peachville was made up of some of the strongest witches and demons I knew.
“Franki's been taken,” I said, my mind filtering out the unnecessary details. “Her mother showed up this morning claiming the Devil had been holding her captive for months. She said she'd escaped just in time to warn us that he was on his way to the village to attack.”
Mary Anne rushed in from the other room, her bright blue eyes wide with fear. “What? How? There's no way he could even get into the village.”
My gut twisted. “She showed us marks on her neck and said he had been feeding on her,” I said. “Her blood was in his veins and she said he'd be able to get in that way.”
“Oh my God,” Mary Anne said. “We have to go after her. Where did he take her?”
I ran a hand through my hair. I was so mad I just wanted to rip it out. “He didn't. Not directly. Franki's mom betrayed us,” I explained. “She said the only way out of the village without risking the Devil capturing Franki was through a special doorway in the library.”
“The one under the altar?” Jackson asked, standing to join me near the door.
“Yes,” I said. I looked to Mary Anne, hopeful. “Do you know that door? Do you know where it leads to?”
Mary Anne's mouth hung open. “It's a shifting doorway,” she said. “Her mom could have taken her anywhere from the other side of that door.”
I leaned a hand against the table, trying to control my anger. If anything happened to Franki, I would never be able to forgive myself.
“She's taken her to the Devil's castle,” I said. “I'm sure of it. That had to have been their plan all along. Dammit. I knew something was wrong, but she was so convincing. She kept rushing us toward that door, telling us it was our only chance to escape. I can't believe we trusted her.”
“You can't blame yourself for the betrayal of others,” Harper said. “All you can do is learn from it and move forward. What can we do to help?”
I rubbed my hands across my weary face. I needed to think. If I was going after the Devil, I needed an army. “The Devil's castle is in Germany,” I said. “It's not too far from my own house in the mountains. I can use the doorway here to get us close. We'll have to fly the rest of the way. He'll have it heavily guarded, I imagine. Possibly a hundred or more, of the lesser vampires. Worst case, some of the Brotherhood will be there, as well. I know it's a lot to ask for you to join me in this fight, but there's something I haven't told you.”
“What?” Jackson said. He and Harper shared a look.
“Before she took her through the doorway, Franki's mother told her who her real father is,” I said. “She lied about a lot of things, but I don't think she was lying about this.”
Mordecai, who'd been sitting quietly at the table, listening, stood, his hands pressed against the top of the wooden table. “I knew her father was the key to this. Who is it?”
I closed my eyes and swallowed. My entire throat had gone dry. The implications of why the Devil would be after Franki took on a whole new meaning now.
“Solomon is Franki's father.”
Every demon in the room went quiet.
Mary Anne shook her head. “I don't understand,” she said. “Who is Solomon?”
“He's the Devil's brother,” I said. “And one of the original founding members of the Brotherhood of Darkness.”
“He's one of the most evil bastards ever to walk this world or the next,” Mordecai said, sitting back down and resting his head in his hands. “What does this mean? What do you think the Devil wants with her?”
“I have an idea, but I need to talk to someone first to be sure,” I said.
“Who?” Harper asked.
I looked at her, hoping she was up for this fight. After all I'd heard about her powers, I was going to need her.
“I have to find my friend Silas,” I said. “And tell him he's Franki's brother.”
Chapter 6
Haunted
“Franki has a brother?” Mary Anne asked.
“A half-brother,” I said. “Solomon's son. He's a member of the Brotherhood and one of my best friends. He came into the club the other night. He said he was in Chicago and thought he'd stop by to say hello, but I never thought to ask him what he was doing there. Ten to one he was looking into the Devil's activities. I need to talk to him and find out what he knows.”
“What do you think the Devil is after?” Harper asked. She moved around the table and came to stand beside Jackson. “I haven't heard of Solomon before, but he sounds dangerous. Do you think he's behind all this?”
“Solomon is dead,” Mordecai said.
“Not exactly,” I said. “Twenty-one years ago the Mother Crow banished Solomon's spirit to a black stone.”
“A soul stone?” Harper asked.
I nodded. “A very large soul stone,” I said. “He was too powerful for her to kill, so she trapped him inside the stone and hid it somewhere no one would ever find it.”
“And you're afraid the Devil has found it,” Jackson said.
“Yes.”
“What would that mean?” Harper asked. “Do you think he's trying to set him free?”
“I don't know if that's even possible,” I said. “After he was locked inside the stone, the Devil led a group of brothers on a witch hunt. They searched for the stone and for the Mother Crow, but at the time, she had gone deep into hiding. No one knew the location of the crow's secret village and after a few years of searching, Solomon was mourned by the Brotherhood and considered dead. We all knew that even if the Devil had found the stone, the magic trapping Solomon inside would be too powerful for us to break without a significant blood sacrifice.”
“Franki,” Mary Anne whispered.
“If I had to guess, the Devil plans to use her to try to free Solomon's power,” I said.
“From what I know about soul stones, I don't think Solomon would ever be able to regain his true form,” Jackson said.
“Maybe he's planning to use someone as a vessel,” Mordecai said. “There is a precedent.”
“Alijah,” Lea said from the hallway.
I hadn't seen or hear
d her come in, but she must have been listening. “Yes.”
Harper and Mary Anne, the only two in the room who had not grown up in the Shadow World, looked confused.
Lea stepped inside the room. “Alijah was a powerful demon on my father's council. She was his friend once. They had grown up together as shadowlings,” she explained. “But Alijah had aspirations to overthrow my father's rule and take over the Northern Kingdom. When he discovered her plan, he captured her. Out of respect for her family's service to the throne for centuries, he banished her spirit to a soul stone where her power might be used for good.”
“That's not exactly how it worked out, though,” Jackson said. “I remember this story. The stone was in a case inside the castle where it was used to power parts of the city for decades.”
“But her brother stole the stone and brought it here to the human world,” Lea continued. “He traded her stone to the Order of Shadows in exchange for the freedom of a demon girl he had fallen in love with who had been taken from his village.”
“What did the Order do with the stone?” Harper asked.
“They did what they always do,” Lea said. “They used it to gain power. They sacrificed an entire coven of witches to free Alijah's spirit. One of the priestesses consumed the power, becoming a vessel.”
“Which priestess?” Harper asked.
“I can't remember her name, but I think it was the priestess who rules over the emerald portals,” Lea said. “The power nearly drove her mad, it was so great. She went into hiding for a while, but resurfaced years later, more powerful than ever.”
“If the Devil intends to release Solomon's power into a human vessel, we'd better all pray it's not one of the priestesses,” Harper said. “That's a fight we don't need right now.”
Harper and her friends had waged war against the Order of Shadows—a powerful group of witches who had made a habit of stealing innocent demons from my world and using them as batteries for their power. Thanks to Harper, the five priestesses who ruled the Order had been whittled down to only four after the death of Priestess Winter. I knew they had plans to go after the other four, as well as the mysterious High Priestess who ruled them all.