Release (The Protector Book 3)

by M. R. Merrick

  “I need to talk to her too,” I said. “It’s about that book.”

  “What book?”

  “The book we bought from The Ouija Board. The one she stole from us. The 11th Dimension.”

  ******

  “Of course it makes sense!” Grams snapped. Her white dress was covered in purple flowers and looked like it had been made from my grandmother’s curtains. “This book has been around since long before any of us were born. Why do you think I was so pissed you had it? You could’ve killed us all.”

  “Why would Debbie sell it if it was so dangerous?” Rayna asked.

  “How the hell should I know? That woman, gods rest her soul, sold board games and trinkets to the mundane. She spent most of her time floating pencils and nurturing plants in her precious garden. She was hardly a seasoned witch.”

  “So what now? Whatever is in that book, Riley wants,” I said.

  “We’ll have to make sure it stays hidden,” Grams said softly, seemingly lost in thought.

  “I can hide it then, like the soul piece,” Rayna said.

  “That’s not soon enough. We need to do something with it immediately.”

  “Well, let’s do it now,” Rayna said. “We can do them both together. I’m ready, Grams.”

  “I know you can call the spirit, but you’re a rookie. Summoning two guardians at this point isn’t safe. You could end up losing power over one and then we’d have a pissed off spirit we can’t control.” Grams gripped the book in her arms.

  “Then what do you suggest, oh wise one?” I asked.

  Grams’s cold blue eyes narrowed and she leaned in, speaking in an angry whisper. “Cut the attitude, boy, or I’ll string you up by your ears with fish hooks.” Even without a cigarette in her mouth I could smell the tobacco fresh on her breath—stale death waiting to suck me in.

  “Glad to see you’re okay.” Marcus’s hand patted my back. “And I’ve heard you were successful on your trip.”

  “I wouldn’t say that, but we all came back alive and with the soul piece.”

  “Good,” he said, squeezing my shoulder. “Then why is everyone so tense?” Marcus’s eyes paused on each of us.

  Grams and Rayna filled Marcus in on the events and I took the break happily, letting my eyes wander over our temporary home.

  We were in the main room where empty cots lined the walls. Tables were set up with food and drinks, and my mouth watered at the thought of a cold glass of water, or even better, something besides that fishy garbage I’d abstained from eating in Silas. But Marcus’s questions came before that craving would be sated.

  “How did Riley get inside your head?”

  “I don’t know. Whatever was on the arrow knocked me out cold. Hard enough to drop my shields and kick me out of my own body.”

  “That’s unnerving,” Marcus said. “What do you think, Edna? What do we do with the book?”

  “We need to keep it somewhere else. We have two things of value now—the book and a soul piece. It might not be the soul piece they need, but it has power nonetheless. Our best bet is to keep them separated.”

  “This is the only secure location we have. This is the safest place,” Marcus said.

  “Maybe that’s the point,” I said.

  Grams, Marcus, and Rayna all turned to me at once.

  “Think about it. The condo is empty. There’s nothing left but some tattered furniture and blood-soaked bandages. It won’t be long before Riley and the Brothers realize we’re not on their radar anymore. If they go to the condo and see it like it is, they’ll know we’ve left. I got the feeling they’re on a tight timeline, so they aren’t wasting a second. They won’t even consider looking at the condo because they’ll think we’d keep anything of value with us at all times. What better place to hide something than right in front of them?”

  I stood awkwardly while everyone stared at me. Moments of silence passed and I felt more and more out of place.

  Grams reached out and slapped the side of my face gently. “That might be the least dumbest thing you’ve ever said. I’ll gather some of the coven and we’ll take the book there. We have enough combined power that I think we can use a spell to hide it and still keep this place secure.”

  I couldn’t tell if that was Grams’s way of complimenting me, so I ignored her comment.

  “Good thinking, Chase.” Marcus smiled, and a look I didn’t recognize filled his eyes.

  “I’ll get started on the Claw,” Rayna said, pulling my shoulder down and planting a kiss on my face.

  “Just you wait a minute there, kitty cat.” Grams snorted. “You’re not doing anything until Marcus and I are ready.”

  Rayna rolled her eyes. “Whatever, I’ll go get ready then. I need some time to focus and open up my channels anyways.”

  “What—” Grams started but Rayna was already across the hall. “The lack of respect among these…kids makes me sick.” Grams spit out a thick lump of something, and Marcus and I grimaced as it went splat against the concrete.

  ******

  Nestled in the back of the expansive warehouse was a small, empty room. Marcus, Grams, and I were against the back wall, watching Rayna as she sat in the middle of it.

  Her green eyes had vanished behind dark painted eyelids. An open black sweater hung over her shoulders, covering a purple tank top and part of her form-fitting black pants. A row of black, unlit candles were placed in front of her, and before them, the glass Claw sparkled on the floor.

  “Maintain concentration and open yourself up to the Fade,” Grams said. “Focus on the spirit you want to call and nothing more.”

  Rayna opened one eye and clenched her fists. “Thank you for that. I’ll try to block out all potential distractions.”

  “Good kitty,” Grams said, leaning back against the wall.

  Rayna’s shoulders rose and fell with an exaggerated sigh, and after a few deep breaths, her fists unclenched. I watched the tension disappear as her shoulders relaxed and she cracked her neck to the side.

  A prickling sensation waltzed along my fingertips, slowly moving into my palm. Magic swirled against my skin, and then beneath it, traveling through my body like a slow-moving shock. Grams and Marcus seemed unaffected by the energy; either that, or they ignored it.

  The power moved into my soul and ruptured that place inside me where my magic thrived. I pushed my hands against the concrete wall behind me, digging my fingernails into it. Pulling a deep breath into my lungs, I closed my eyes, and focused on my elements. I used that imaginary hand to pull them upwards and thrust them back down, trying to keep them from rising.

  The power receded slightly and a wave of heat that wasn’t my doing filled the room. All the candles surrounding Rayna erupted with light. Fire wavered on the wicks, but it wasn’t the type of flame I expected.

  Black fames with an outline of white flickered back and forth. As the magic reemerged, nearly choking me, the flames coiled up to the ceiling.

  I closed my eyes again, fighting the power that beckoned me. My magic wasn’t going to rise; I wouldn’t let it. The backlash of letting it out was too much. I couldn’t afford to give it the release it desired.

  Wind whistled as Rayna’s magic swelled, but the room was still. The dark flames turned red, then the flames snapped back to the wicks. Energy formed in front of Rayna and a black orb appeared and began swirling around her. The flames reacted with mystic vitality, linking together in a line of heat.

  Rayna’s eyes remained closed, and focus was written across her face. The orb finished enveloping her and it moved towards the line of heat. It faded and reappeared as it hovered closer until it became one with the flames.

  The red flames expanded as the black energy merged with it. They swirled together, swelling in the air and morphing into something new. A deep red whirlpool formed above the candle wicks. Red water circled above and swirls of black moved within the magic’s current. The water funneled down to the wicks, and as it rotated, a white mist drifted from the ce
nter.

  “You’ve beckoned me, summoner,” the mist said, shifting its shape to take on a somewhat human outline. It was a demonic voice and I couldn’t tell if it was a male or female speaking. It crackled like a bad recording at first, each word becoming clearer than the last. “How can Evaris serve you?”

  Rayna’s lips were no longer moving. She opened her eyes and they were a solid black. The witch inside her had come out, and her magic pressed against my skin.

  “I have called upon you, Evaris, Guardian of Sacred Treasure, to serve my will.”

  “The god Athaniel’s soul piece,” the creature said. “You require it to be hidden from prying eyes.” Its form swayed over the funnel, and the water churned beneath it. “You wish to keep this item veiled from those who seek to destroy it? Ithreal’s sons and another…”

  Rayna nodded. “Yes.”

  “As you command, so shall Evaris do. Please, mistress, allow me to serve you.”

  Rayna reached down and grabbed the glass Claw, holding it out towards the creature. Evaris’s wispy arms stretched from its body and hovered beneath the soul piece. As Rayna let it go, the Claw of Virtue remained in the air, hovering above the creature’s white, makeshift palm.

  Unique magic rose and I felt my elements’ plea for release. I struggled against them, my focus in place, but even still, it was barely enough to contain them.

  The spirit pulled back its arm and absorbed the soul piece. The glass turned inside the cloud of mist that made up its body, and sparks of lighting shot from its wispy figure and into the Claw. The creature nodded. “Your request is granted, summoner. My essence shall protect your object for as long as you require.”

  Rayna nodded and closed her eyes again. The magic exploded in the room and with it, so did mine. The creature vanished and the candle flames stretched to the ceiling in a crescendo of power that dropped me to my knees.

  My breath caught in my throat and everything around me slowed. Marcus crouched down and his hand touched my shoulder. His plump lips moved, but I couldn’t hear his voice.

  I focused on the floor and keeping my magic inside. My t-shirt clung to my back as sweat ran down my body. I trembled as though a physical force held me against the floor while the skin on my forearms burned.

  Tiny cracks in the skin formed around my elbow and rippled down to my wrist. The skin separated and small blue flames ignited as my blood spilled to the floor, dripping over the concrete. Blue flames snapped over top of the blood, the liquid acting as an accelerant.

  The earth came alive around me. My magic reached into the ground, deep beneath the cement, and the sensation of moist dirt rolled up my arms.

  Funnels of dark energy formed in the corners of the room and began to twist. The candles flickered as the element churned and air tore through the room in a cyclone of rage.

  Both my hands pressed against the concrete, trying to rein the magic back, but it didn’t hesitate.

  Clear liquid trickled from my palms as though I was filled with water and my hands contained a leak. Water trailed from my fingertips along the floor, and white sparkles formed over it, quickly becoming a layer of frosted concrete.

  Rayna knelt in front of me and her energy quivered beneath my skin, but it wasn’t the earth element she’d embraced me with before; it was something stronger.

  Tall flames burst from my arms and water ran from my hands in a steady flow. The frost expanded, creeping along the floor until the concrete cracked, shooting frozen shavings all around us.

  Flakes of frost danced in the air and the smell of wet earth filled my nostrils. Roots broke through the cracks and slithered along the icy floor, wrapping around my wrists.

  “Rayna stop…” I managed to gasp, and Rayna’s power vanished.

  I dropped to the ground and closed my eyes, fighting to shove the magic back inside. Pain tore through my mind and I squeezed my eyes shut.

  Images of the Dark Brothers and Riley appeared behind closed lids. They stood on the outside of a huge wall of green plants, and the ground in the image began to shake.

  The earth broke and a towering black statue emerged from it. A strange hat sat on the statue’s head. Red, blue, and yellow stripes lined two separate cones that curled away from the center. Gold and silver balls hung on the tip of each cone’s fabric, and a high pitched laughter filled my ears.

  A black curtain fell over my mind and covered the world, reopening to reveal a new landscape. Divots of earth were filled with icy pools. The sky was black and full of clouds, with a small white moon peeking out in the distance. Thorn covered bushes grew higher than the white clouds, forming walls of spiky defiance.

  Visceratti burst from the icy pits, their hisses bouncing inside my ears. They slithered across the ground in swarms, leaving oily trails behind them. Their pure red eyes crackled with tiny black veins.

  They all gathered together around a pit of lava. Roars and hisses came as their bodies crowded around it and steam floated in the air between them. They inched away from the hole slowly, and from the lava came a larger snake-like woman.

  Her body was tattered with thick gray scars. Loose skin dangled from what remained of her eyelids, small bite marks showing where the rest had been chewed away. A thorny crown rested upon her head, encrusted with shiny black stones. Her white eyes glanced over her followers, and red veins rippled through her eyes, vanishing into her skull. She hissed and the group slid back. She glided across the cool ground and turned her head, snowy eyes gazing directly at me.

  A forked tongue slid between her nearly nonexistent lips and she hissed. “We haven’t forgotten you, hunter. Your sssssacrifice will come…”

  Fear shot through my veins and the world shattered like glass, releasing its grip and spitting me back to reality.

  I shook my head as shards of the memory cut into my mind and the image faded. Marcus stared at me from above. Fear covered his face, and in that moment, we had a connection; I knew he’d seen it too.

  “Calm yourself, Chase. Rein in your elements.”

  I had to try and read his lips because his voice faded in and out. I closed my eyes again, fire nipping at my arms.

  Marcus’s air element came to life, drawing the air from the room. The candles and flames snuffed themselves out and I held my breath, taking the momentary lapse in pain as a chance to refocus.

  The invisible hand inside me wielded my elements and wrapped its tendrils around the power. The pain in my arms lessened as the magic receded and the hand pulled the elements back.

  The gray concrete returned as the frost consumed itself. The water dripping from my hands stopped like a tap being twisted shut. One by one my elements reverted to a dormant state, and as the roots retreated into the cracked cement and the last scent of fresh dirt hit my nostrils, my muscles relaxed.

  Marcus’s power returned oxygen to the world and I gasped for air along with Grams and Rayna. My head throbbed and my vision became distorted, clouded by tears. My lungs wheezed with each exhale and sharp stabbing pains shot through my chest.

  My elements had craved a release, and something in Rayna’s power had unlocked their gateway. I had lost the ability to create, control, and contain the elements.

  Blood smeared over my eyes as my hands wiped the tears away, making my vision worse. I struggled to sit up with aches settling in my bones, and Marcus helped me slide myself back and use the wall for support.

  Rayna appeared in front of me with a damp cloth. I wiped the blood and tears from my eyes and the ringing in my ears subsided.

  “I’m sorry, Chase. I’m so, so sorry.” Rayna dropped her eyes and I tried to shake my head, but my neck was stiff.

  “It’s not you, it’s…my elements. They’re tearing me apart.” Blood dripped from my nose and the narrow split in my skin.

  “Your elements?” Marcus asked. “But your control has been flawless recently.”

  “I thought so too, but lately, something isn’t right.”

  “He’s got too much power, th
at’s what,” Grams said, clearing her throat.

  “What do you mean?” Rayna asked.

  “He has too much damn magic. He may be a hunter, but he’s not built for this. If a witch or warlock’s magic gets too strong, they have to bind themselves, limiting what they can do. Even as Underworlders, our bodies aren’t strong enough to contain that kind of power. By the look of things, I’d say the same is true of hunters.”

  “What about the Dark Brothers?” Rayna asked. “Their power seems limitless and they’re still in one piece.”

  “But they aren’t warlocks, are they?”

  “No,” I said. “They’re demigods.”

  “Will a binding spell work on Chase?” Marcus asked.

  Grams reached into her oversized purse and lit up a cigarette. Thick smoke spilled from her lips and she shook her head before breaking out in a coughing fit. She banged her hand against her chest a few times and shook her head again. “Not unless he’s part warlock.”

  I used the cloth to wipe the blood from my hands before I rubbed my temples. The ringing in my head had begun to lessen and all my aches were beginning to fade.

  “So what now?” I asked.

  “We’ll find something,” Rayna said, placing her hand on my leg. “For now let me bandage these up.”

  Chapter 31

  “Chase is not in any condition to go after your family. He can’t use his elements, and right now, he’s more of a danger than he is an asset,” Marcus said.

  Vincent growled. “I don’t care! Enough excuses. I’ve been to not one, but two dimensions with you by my own free will. You assured me you’d help, and I am out of time.”

  “Since when do you care about someone else’s schedule? You’re Vincent Taryk,” Rayna said, mimicking his voice. “The world revolves around you.”

  “As much as I adore your attention, my sweet, I am unable to concede. I only have until tomorrow night to issue my response, and if I do not, they will act on their threats. Nobody—not even me—keeps the Sovereign waiting.”

  “Nobody here cares about—”

  “Fine,” I said, cutting off Rayna.