Smiling at her confidence, I say, “Yes, you can. We’ll be right here to help you.”
Sibeal stands up from the couch and excuses herself for a moment. When she comes back, she has the Soul Stone in her hands. She sits down on the floor and sets the stone in front of her. Bas and I sit down next to her. Tanner is a little slower as he tries to straighten out his soggy, mascara covered shirt. Sibeal blushes when she sees it, but Tanner just shrugs and joins us on the floor.
No one says anything as Sibeal closes her eyes and falls into a trance. Her lips start whispering quietly. I don’t understand anything she’s saying, but Bass is listening intently. “Do you know what she’s saying?” I whisper.
He grimaces and shakes his head. “I can only catch a few words here and there.”
I feel a little concerned knowing that we won’t have a clue if things start going wrong, but there’s not much we can do about it at this point. I settle in and try to watch Sibeal for any sign that she needs my help.
Only a few minutes into the process, something begins to change. The room grows eerily silent, the air heavy. I jump when the windows start rattling. The windows clatter again, drawing my eyes to them. I slap my hand over my mouth at the sight of Darcy silently screaming at Sibeal.
Even with her eyes closed, Sibeal seems to know her sister is here. Her hands tighten into fists. Her fingernails dig into her legs leaving bloody crescents. Sibeal continues chanting. She never breaks the cadence. Tanner and I scoot closer to Sibeal. I slip my hand over hers and Tanner does the same. I can’t tell if she notices, but her voice seems stronger.
As Sibeal’s voice strengthens, so does Darcy’s fight against her. The whole room suddenly loses color as a heavy darkness seeps in from every corner of the room. My heart starts beating frantically. I can’t stop my eyes from darting around the room at the darkness. I almost scream when it reaches us. I close my eyes and pretend it isn’t creeping over my skin.
Sibeal’s chant becomes louder, but she doesn’t open her eyes. The crack of the shutters flinging open and banging into the house sends me ducking against Bas. Sibeal flinches as well, but keeps up her chanting without a hitch. She and I are both breathing hard. The sound of Bas next to me says he isn’t fairing much better.
Nothing seems able to break Sibeal’s concentration until the silent wailing I saw, when Darcy first appeared, breaks through her prison and screams into the room. Everyone’s hands fly to their ears in an attempt to block it out. I fold over on myself as my hands prove useless. The keening only increases in volume, forcing Sibeal to scream out the words that will free her if she can only hold on long enough.
The shutter nearest us slams closed. The glass of the window bursts inward in a rain of biting glass that sprays over everyone. I can feel the shards pierce the exposed skin of my arms. Hot trails of blood slither down my arm, but as I open my eyes I see that Sibeal has taken the brunt of the damage. Still, she keeps chanting.
I send Bass running to the kitchen to get a rag to stop the bleeding from the multiple little wounds on Sibeal’s back. He reappears just as Darcy’s wailing breaks through another level and turns into words. I press the cloth to Sibeal’s back as Darcy’s vile voice thrashes through the room.
I try to block out her horrible words. The names she calls Sibeal are terrible, half of them completely foreign to me, but Sibeal begins to crumble under the barrage. Tears slip past her control and her words falter. Refusing to let Darcy win, I throw my arms around Sibeal, pushing her hand away from her ear so she can hear me.
“Don’t listen to her, Sibeal,” I practically scream at her to drown out Darcy. “Darcy doesn’t love you like we do. All she has ever done is hurt you. You deserve to find happiness. Don’t let her beat you down again. You are stronger than her. Etain chose you over Darcy because she thought you were weak, but she was wrong. Prove to Darcy that Etain was wrong about you. Don’t let her win! Don’t let her kill you! Giving in means you both die. She knows that. She would rather see you die with her than let you go, let you be happy. Don’t let her win!”
I hold my breath as Sibeal’s voice rises to a full scream. She has to beat Darcy. She has to! I hold onto my friend and will her every bit of strength I have to offer. I fear this will go on forever, but suddenly, everything becomes silent and still. My eyes flutter open and I gasp at the ghostly image of Darcy kneeling in front of Sibeal.
Tanner and Bas both stare at Darcy, completely at a loss for what to do. The only one not ready to panic is Sibeal. I sit back as her eyes open. She looks down at the Soul Stone, first, which is now glowing white hot, before looking up to confront her sister for the last time. Darcy’s face contorts in fury as tears run down Sibeal’s cheeks.
“I won’t let you hurt me anymore,” Sibeal says softly.
Her hand reaches out to Darcy, who tries to rebel against her hold, but finds herself locked in place. Sibeal touches her cheek softly, shattering Darcy’s form and sending it skittering across the whole room. Darcy’s final wail dissolves as the glittering bits of her power flow back to Sibeal, sinking into her in a rush of light.
I almost don’t react fast enough to catch Sibeal when she collapses. Pieces of glass fall from her hair as her head lands in my arms. Fear that Sibeal is truly injured sends a shot of panic racing through me, but her eyes flutter back open almost immediately. I sit her back up gently and wait for a response.
Sibeal’s mouth falls open in shock. “I did it,” she whispers. “Darcy is gone. She’s really gone.”
“She’ll never hurt you again,” I say, “but you aren’t safe yet.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
By the time I finish helping Sibeal rid herself of glass and get into the bath to soak her wounds and soul alike, Bass and Tanner have the broken glass cleaned up and are working on covering the empty window with a board. I don’t relish trying to explain that one to Mrs. Ahearn. The next few hours are going to be difficult enough as it is.
After watching what Sibeal had to go through to beat Darcy, I know coming to a knock-down, drag-out fight with Etain will only end in disaster. There is no way Sibeal can stand up to someone who has been stealing people’s power for centuries! I can’t even imagine how powerful she is.
I look at the clock, knowing Mrs. Ahearn and Etain will be home any minute. I am close to freaking out when Bass and Tanner finish with the window and join me in the kitchen.
“How’s Sibeal?” Tanner asks.
“Okay for now.” My eyes are drawn toward the hall as worry for my friend gathers around me. “I’m sure what she did is going to come crashing down on her soon enough, but I think the knowledge that she’s free of Darcy’s tormenting is holding it off for now. The real problem is Etain, though. What are we going to do?”
No one has an answer. Neither of them needs me to explain how impossible it would be for Sibeal to match power with Etain. All I can think of is that we need to keep Etain away from Sibeal. How long can we keep that up, though? I don’t even know how long Etain is planning to stay.
“We have to convince Mrs. Ahearn that Etain shouldn’t be around Sibeal,” Bas says.
“How do we do that?” Tanner asks.
I start to shake my head, but an idea begins forming in my mind. It’s certainly not a permanent fix, but it might work. A smile begins at one corner of my mouth, drawing Bass’s attention. I need to ask Sibeal a question first.
“My mom and Etain just pulled up,” Sibeal squeaks, startling all of us.
I rush over to Sibeal and grab her bare shoulders. “Sibeal, what did you tell your parents about the night Darcy disappeared?”
“Nothing,” she says quickly. “I told them I couldn’t remember what happened. I didn’t know what else to say.”
“Good.”
Turning back to the guys, I push Sibeal at them. “Take her to her room and make sure she locks the door, but don’t leave, okay?”
“Wasn’t planning on it,” Bas says.
“No kidding,” Ta
nner scoffs. “We aren’t leaving until we know you’re both safe.”
I smile at them both. “Thanks, guys. Bas, can you do one more thing? Can you call my dad and tell him I’m going to be at Sibeal’s a little longer. Tell him she’s having a tough day and her mom asked me to keep her company.”
I don’t wait for him to agree because I hear the front door opening. Hurrying out to the living room, I do my best to distract the women marching through the door from Sibeal being rushed to her room. Mrs. Ahearn is too busy holding the door and chatting with Etain to notice, but Etain’s hawk-like eyes zero in on Sibeal right away.
“What happened here?” Etain demands, which seems a little much since it isn’t even her house.
The anger in her voice alerts Mrs. Ahearn that something is wrong. Her eyes dart around the room, confused until she sees the boarded up window. “Oh dear! Arra, what happened? Is everyone okay?”
“Everyone’s fine,” I reassure her. “The window was just an accident. A raven flew right into and broke the glass. Bas and Tanner got rid of the broken glass and covered it up for you.”
About that time, Bas and Tanner return from securing Sibeal in her room. Mrs. Ahearn is quick to thank them for taking care of the window. She clearly bought my story hook, line, and sinker. Etain isn’t so easy to convince.
I watch her carefully as her eyes scan the room for any other signs of a disturbance. I know she won’t find anything, but when her eyes close, I start to worry she has other ways of figuring out what happened. When her eyes snap open and I find myself on the receiving end of a vicious glare, I take a step back. She can sense something.
As Mrs. Ahearn finally stops thanking Bas and Tanner, I walk over to Sibeal’s mom and gently place my hand on her arm. My careful approach seems to alert her right away.
“Arra, is something wrong?”
I hesitate, trying to make sure Etain won’t be able to overhear me. “While you were gone, Sibeal had a bit of a breakdown.”
Panic instantly springs to Mrs. Ahearn’s eyes. My fingers tighten on her arm and I pull her a little further away, into the hall so we can speak privately.
“Don’t worry,” I say, “she’s doing much better now, but today has been really hard for her. I think she’s starting to remember what happened.”
“What? What do you mean she’s starting to remember? About the night Darcy disappeared?” she asks frantically.
I nod slowly, willing her to calm down and not alert Etain. “She didn’t tell me much, but when I mentioned that you and Etain would be back soon, she lost it. She was terrified, Mrs. Ahearn…of Etain.”
She shakes her head in confusion. “But, Sibeal loves Etain. They’ve always been close.”
“Sibeal still can’t recall all the details, but she seems to think Etain was involved in Darcy’s disappearance. She is too scared of her to come out of her room.”
“I…I don’t understand,” Mrs. Ahearn says. She presses her hand against her chest. “Why would Etain hurt Darcy?”
I scramble to answer that question. “Were Darcy and Etain close, too?” I ask, hoping for Mrs. Ahearn to help me fill in the blanks.
Her eyes widen. “No, they weren’t. Etain said Darcy was dangerous. She tried to convince us to keep her away from Sibeal. She never liked to be around Darcy.” Mrs. Ahearn’s hand jumps to her mouth as she seems to be putting pieces of the puzzle together.
I’m putting my own puzzle together. No doubt, Etain recognized too much of herself in Darcy. She probably figured Darcy would discover what she was about and throw a wrench in her plans, so she did everything she could have to keep Darcy and Sibeal separated.
“Maybe I should go talk to Sibeal,” Mrs. Ahearn says shakily.
“I’ll come with you.” It’s an offer she accepts thankfully.
We walk toward Sibeal’s room. Mrs. Ahearn reaches for the door knob, and I am about to tell her it’s locked when her hand turns the knob easily. Panic hits me as the door swings open and we find the room completely empty.
“No!” I cry.
My feet leave Mrs. Ahearn behind as I tear through the house back to the living room where we left Etain under the watch of Bas and Tanner. My knees buckle when I come around the corner and find both Bas and Tanner lying on the floor, not moving. Getting back to my feet is impossible, and I nearly fall on Bas trying to get to him. My hand taps against his cheek as I plead with him to open his eyes.
“What is going on?” Mrs. Ahearn demands when she finally catches up to me.
“Bas, please, please, open your eyes,” I beg tearfully.
My heart leaps when he begins to stir. A groan from Tanner reminds me of his presence. I look over at him in a panic and scramble to his side.
“What happened?” Bas asks as he pushes himself up to a sitting position.
“I think Etain took Sibeal,” I blurt out to everyone. “Hurry! We have to find her!”
Bas and Tanner both try to shake off whatever Etain did to them and get back to their feet. Mrs. Ahearn simply starts to panic. “Sibeal! Where is Sibeal?”
“We don’t know, but Etain has her and she’s going to try to hurt her if we don’t get there in time.”
Mrs. Ahearn breaks down in tears. I feel for her, I do, but we don’t have time for this! My own panic is feeding off of hers and I end up yanking her rather roughly to face me. “You have to think,” I demand. “Where would Etain take Sibeal if she wanted to hurt her?”
“And make it look like an accident,” Tanner adds.
Bas takes a deep breath. “Or a suicide,” he says reluctantly.
Luckily, Tanner is close enough to catch Mrs. Ahearn when her knees collapse. I shake her hands roughly. I feel terrible being mean to her right now, but she can’t faint! We need her to tell us where they went.
“There’s a cliff overlooking the ocean,” Mrs. Ahearn says with a sob. “I mentioned it to Etain on the way here because it’s such a beautiful view. I don’t know where else she would take her.”
It feels like pulling teeth to get the directions from Sibeal’s mom, but a few seconds later, Tanner, Bas, and I are rushing out of the house toward the ocean. I don’t know how far we run, and I don’t feel the exhaustion, because the sight of Etain holding a struggling Sibeal out over the water at the height of the cliff, wipes everything else from my mind.
We only have a second to take everything in. At the bottom of the hill that leads to the cliff, we can see Etain without her seeing us. That advantage will only last halfway up the hill, but it’s better than nothing. One quick glance at each other shows we’re all on the same page.
Bas and Tanner immediately separate, one going to either side of the hill. I trust them to come up with a plan of attack and continue straight toward Etain at the top. I try to be as quiet as possible, but something in Sibeal’s expression must alert her. Etain’s body swings toward me with malice in her eyes.
“Unless you want to join your friend on the rocks below, stop walking, now!” Etain commands.
“I’m not going to let you hurt her,” I say angrily.
Etain laughs. “How do you plan on stopping me?”
A pain I can’t explain starts spreading through my body. I fall to the ground, trying not to scream and give Etain the satisfaction.
“Arra!” Sibeal shrieks.
I keep trying to move, but the pain only intensifies. It’s all I can think about until Sibeal starts screaming. I drag my head up, terrified that she has already been sent over the edge. My eyes widen as I see her feet back on the ground and her arms flailing against Etain. The distraction must be enough to loosen Etain’s grip on me. I suck in a breath against the pain still crippling me and pull myself forward.
From the corner of my eye, I can see Tanner creeping toward Etain and I pray that Bas is doing the same thing from the other side. There is no chance of me making it to Sibeal before them at this point. Another blast of pain sends me to the ground in agony, but a second later it nearly disappears. I don�
�t question what is happening. I just get up and run.
I am ten feet away when Etain throws Sibeal away from her. Fear of another round of crippling pain, or of Sibeal being kicked over the edge, flings me forward. Bas and Tanner are running now, too. It is total desperation as we sprint for Etain and Sibeal.
My eyes widen as Tanner leaps for Etain’s legs. He manages to grab hold, but it’s not enough to stop Etain from acting. The normally strong ledge that a very dazed Sibeal is lying on begins to inexplicably crumble beneath her. I dive for Sibeal as she finally comes fully awake and scrambles to find something to hold onto.
The air in my lungs blasts out of my body as I hit the ground, but Sibeal’s hand is clinging to mine and that’s all that matters. We hold onto each other, but neither one of us can manage more than that. Pulling Sibeal up is beyond me. I can’t pull myself up to a better position without sliding forward on the angled, still crumbling ledge.
I look back and scream for help, but the scene behind me is total chaos. Etain is out of Tanner’s grip, climbing back to her feet as Tanner lies on the ground. Bas lunges at Etain, but is swatted away by some unseen force. He rolls into Tanner, grabbing his friend as he slides and pulling him away from Etain just in time to crumple to the ground.
“Sibeal,” I scream, “you have to try to reach the edge.” My eyes dart to my left, where a firm and strong portion of the cliff seems to be beyond Etain’s power. Sibeal sees it as well and tightens her grip as she battles the raging fear trying to take her over.
My heart is pounding as Sibeal claws at the ground around her in hopes of finding a hold, but everything slips through her fingers. Her reaching and lunging is making it harder to hold onto her. Panic like I have never known before threatens to override everything else. I fight to stay in control enough to help her.
“I’m going to swing you,” I call down to Sibeal.
My arms feel like they are going to be pulled out of their sockets as I wrench Sibeal back and forth with the plea that she’ll find something better to hold onto. I scream at her to reach farther as my grip on her hand begins to slip. I know we are about to run out of time, so I put everything I have left into one last swing. My eyes close against failure as Sibeal’s hand slips from my grasp.
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