by M. R. Polish
I could hear her heavy breathing. “We have to try again. There has to be a way out.”
Just then, the door opened and filled the hole with blinding light. I shielded my eyes as I tried to adjust. “So, lover boy, are you ready to come out and play nice?” It was Julie. Just the sound of her voice made me sick. “I can get MaryAnn to bring in another shot of Crimsonite and knock you back out if you’d prefer.”
“Go,” Ailaina whispered. “Get out while you can. Maybe you can find a way back to help me.” Her trust in me made my heart sing. All was not lost. I still had friends that I needed to help.
“What do you want, Julie?” I asked, not masking the disdain in my voice.
“I want you to love me. It wasn’t that long ago when you thought what we had was real.”
“What we had was never real. You and I both know that.”
“Listen, Jarak, either you come up and play by these rules, or you don’t come up at all.”
Ailaina grabbed my arm, but stayed in the shadows. “Please go, this might be the only way.”
I gave her a slight nod, and then looked up at Julie. “Fine.”
Julie lowered a rope like ladder. “And if your little friend tries anything all deals are off.”
I gave one last look at Ailaina. Tears streaked the dirt on her face. I needed to get out to save her. I was just worried that in order to do so I may have to sell my soul—or worse.
Climbing the rope as quickly as I could, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to be out of the dark pit. Julie gave me one of her fake smiles. “I knew you’d make the right choice. In the end it will always be me who you choose. Let’s go get you cleaned up before you meet Nicholas.”
My stomach churned. I didn’t want to meet him, I wanted to kill him. I could still remember when I found him with Es. I almost lost her to the Belladonna poisoning, but now I lost her to my brother. Not that she was mine to begin with.
I followed Julie out of the underground room we were in, trying to memorize every step so I could find my way back to help Ailaina.
Another exciting thought filled me when I realized that I would be able to hear Maztic now. “Maztic?” I tried weakly in my head.
“I’m here.” His voice was weak as well.
“What’s going on? Why aren’t you here? I need you.”
“After they took you from the plane, they put you in a secure room that my spirit couldn’t enter, and the underground pit was the same. Whatever magic is being used is stronger than me. I’ve tried to reach you.”
I knew just by his tone how tired he was. “I know you did. We’ll figure this out.”
Julie stopped once we reached the first story of the house, and then turned to me. “You’re awfully quiet. You wouldn’t be talking to Maztic, would you?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s just a lot to take in.”
She gave a coy smirk. “Good. I haven’t seen him, but I guess that would be normal seeing as how Nicholas has a strong hold on the spirit element. He wouldn’t be letting him get through to you. He’s placed a barrier around the house forbidding all spirit wolves access.”
So, that’s why Maztic sounded so far away and tired. He was literally trying to fight against a blocking spell that was made to stop him. It was hard to understand why we were becoming vulnerable to magic after all these years.
Julie continued through the house, stopping at a door. “You can clean up in here. I’ve already laid clothes out for you.” She reached up and kissed my cheek before running her fingers down my face and jaw. “It’s good to have you on the winning side. I’ve waited years for this.”
Her touch burned my skin like acid. I wanted to pull away but knew better. “You’ve been dead for years,” I reminded her.
“Oh, but this started long before I died.” She spun around on her heel and left me to stand alone.
I cursed as I ran my hands through my hair. I decided to clean up while I had the chance, and hopefully the water would wash away the ill effects Julie left on my skin. Besides, I needed a chance to think things through. And, I needed to find a way to save Ailaina before it was too late.
I got dressed and leaned over on the counter. I hadn’t come up with a better plan than to just barge through the house and throw the ladder down to Ailaina and escape. It wasn’t a tight plan since Maztic couldn’t help me, something that made my soul ache. I wasn’t used to being without him and my body was getting weak without his spirit. Maybe that was what Nicholas wanted – to keep me alive but weak and at his disposal? No guardian that I ever knew of lived without their spirit wolf, and with every minute I became weaker I believed there was no way to live without Maztic. He was a part of me.
After a couple deep breaths and a pep talk in the mirror, I pushed myself off the counter but had to catch myself because my balance was off. Yeah, escaping should be easy. I smirked as I opened the door and found Julie waiting for me.
“Hey, lover, you don’t look so good. Let me help you.”
I pushed her hand away. “I’m fine.”
“I beg to differ. Honestly, Jarak, just let me help. You’re going to get weaker, and you’re going to need me, so you might as well just let me now.”
I glared at her and my jaw clenched. “You knew, didn’t you?”
She placed her hands on her hips. “What? That without Maztic you’d be nothing? That you’d become so weak that you’d kill for the connection to the other half of your spirit? Oh, yeah, maybe I did know.”
“You’re evil.” I said it, but it didn’t come out as harsh as I wanted with my exertion.
She grinned. “I know. And now so are you.”
“I will never be what you want.”
“Actually, you may not have a choice.”
A scream rang through the house and my head jerked up, instantly alert. Ailaina. “Where is she? What are you doing to her?”
Julie reached out to touch my arm, but I yanked it away. “Jarak, there isn’t anything you can do for her now.”
I didn’t listen to her as I took off running, following the bloodcurdling screams. “Ailaina! I’m coming!”
Julie pounced on me from behind, taking both of us to the floor. I pushed her away from me and stood back up. She sneered. “Jarak, you can’t win this. I’m stronger than you right now.”
Ailaina’s screams became low moans that echoed in the house. I shook my head at Julie. “You’re wrong.”
She tipped her head. “Aww… You think you can hurt me? You’ll never be able to.”
I clenched my fists and struggled to move toward her. “We’ll see about that.” She was wrong. I could hurt her, curse or no curse. I dug deep and plowed into her, pushing her into the wall. I didn’t have anything with me that could do any real damage to her, but maybe I could buy myself some time.
Holding my arm up to her neck, I pressed hard. Her eyes widened and she grabbed at me frantically, but I didn’t let up until her body drooped and her eyes finally fluttered shut.
I bent over. My breathing came in desperate gasps, my body wanting to shut down, all energy spent. Ailaina screamed again. I jerked my head up. How was I supposed to help her if I could barely move? She cried out again and I knew I had to try. I took a couple quick breaths and jogged down the hall. It was all I could do not to stop and let the world go black around me.
Where was she? I took off down another hall but it dead-ended. I hit the wall as I turned around and ran back the other way. A faint whisper filled my head, “Upstairs.” I knew it was Maztic, but he sounded weaker than I was.
I found the stairs and took them two to three at a time. The screams died down to a muffled cried.
“Ailaina!”
I opened the door and a woman with long black hair turned quickly to see me. “I told Julie you couldn’t be trusted.” She dropped the small knife she held on the table next to Ailaina. I didn’t have time to check on her with the Knife Lady approaching me.
I planted my feet into the gray carpet
, but I could feel my whole body shake as I forced myself to stand. Staring at the lady; I knew something about her was off. “What are you?” I asked weakly.
Her body jerked slightly and her skin fluttered over her muscles inhumanly. Dark ebony lines branched out up her neck and the whites of her eyes got darker, turning completely black.
My breath hitched and I tried to swallow the lump at the back of my throat. I wasn’t sure what she was, but without Maztic, I wasn’t certain I could take her on either.
“You look afraid, Jarak. The once-strong guardian is now weak and speechless.”
“I’m not afraid. I’m just trying to figure out what you are. You’re not a breed, you’re something else.”
She grinned, showing her yellowed teeth. “I’m something you’ve never imagined. I am why there are nightmares.” She sauntered closer to me and I took a heavy step back.
Hoping I was faster than her, even in my fatigued state, I darted toward her, but her hand shot out, and a force that I couldn’t see pushed me backward, where I landed harshly on the floor.
I winced as I tried to sit up. Every muscle in my body felt like it was on fire. I thought only Adonia, Es, and Victor could use magic against me. Then again, I was detached from Maztic. Whoever was capable of separating a guardian’s spirit must have strong magic. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was the reason for my current state. It fueled my anger and I slowly stood back up, never taking my eyes off her.
Lunging at her again, this time expecting her to use a power against me, I felt the surge of energy rip through me, paralyzing me. I couldn’t move no matter how hard I tried. I was already weak, but it drained me even more. I stood there, immobile, not even my lips able to form words.
Strange warmth filled me from deep within, and it gave me a new hope. I wasn’t sure where it came from, or who supplied it, but I was grateful just the same.
My fingers moved first, and then it was as if she had no power over me at all—but she didn’t know that. She kept her hand out with a light yellow, illuminating fog spreading out from her palm. I used that to my advantage and stayed still, not giving her a reason to believe her power no longer worked.
She floated closer to me and I knew that was might be my only chance. I sprang to the table with Ailaina and grabbed the knife, turning and throwing it without thinking twice. It landed in her chest. She looked down at the silver handle protruding from her then up at me. “You think this will get rid of me? It will only slow me down.” Her body faded into the air slowly. “I will be back, and as soon as I do, you best watch your back. And those you love as well.” Then she was gone.
I didn’t know where she went. I only cared that she was entirely gone—but for how long, I didn’t know. I fell to my knees. My arms and legs were heavy, even my neck had trouble keeping my head up. I reached up and grasped the edge of the table.
Straining to pull myself up, my fingers wanted to slide from the table, but I heaved my body up before they could. I leaned over on Ailaina’s legs, breathing heavily. Standing up without support was out of the question, yet I knew I had to in order to help her. With my elbows resting on the table, holding up my entire weight to help keep my balance and so I wouldn’t fall back down, I inched my way to her side.
I ripped off the gag and pulled the ropes that bound her to the table. She sat up and wrapped her arms around my neck, clinging to me. “Shhh… It’s okay, it’ll be okay.”
I pulled back to look at her. She hiccupped from all her crying. Blood ran down her forearms. I held them out to get a better look at them. “What did they do? Who did this? Was it Nicholas? What or who was that woman?”
She sat on the table, pulling her arms away from me to wrap them around her middle, and rocked back and forth.
“Come on, we need to get you out of here before Julie or that other psycho comes back.” I already pushed my luck since Julie knew where I ran off to, and I didn’t know how long I had until she woke up.
I picked Ailaina up despite my weakness. My legs and arms felt like Jello, but I carried her out of the room and downstairs. No one was there to stop us – it was too easy.
“Jarak,” Ailaina whispered. “They’re gonna kill us.”
“No, they won’t. You’re going to run and not look back, understand? Find Es, stay with her and don’t leave.”
Her brow creased. “What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“You didn’t trade sides, did you?” It was more of a statement than a question.
I sat her down to stand on her own. “No.”
Footsteps ran toward us. I opened the front door. “Now run.”
Ailaina took off, looking over her shoulder once before rounding the corner. I turned just in time to be hit with a power orb. I flew back and hit the door, shutting it. “You let her go?” Julie screamed at me.
All I could do despite the pain was smile. She shot another round of energy at me. My insides felt like they were fried.
“I can’t believe you helped her escape! You’re supposed to be helping us.”
I had to say something before she killed me. “I just did,” I whispered. “You wanted Es, now she’ll come.” I hoped I was wrong, but I knew deep down I wasn’t.
She exhaled loudly. “I guess you’re right. Besides, we already did what we needed with her.”
I winced as I fought to stand up. “And what was that?”
“Nicholas is sick. He needs Esmerelda or he’ll die, but that also means his power is waning. He can’t go into her dreams like he used to, so we looked into Ailaina’s spirit to see where Es is. Since Ailaina is connected to her, he can also send messages to Esmerelda through Ailaina.”
I had a sinking feeling about where she was going with this. “Why was she screaming? What was the blood from?”
Julie gave a wicked laugh. “We forced her spirit to open up and send a vision to Esmerelda, but it had to look real. She now thinks Ailaina is dead. We hoped it would speed up her journey a touch. It’s what would’ve happened if you hadn’t let her go.”
“Then why stop?”
“You know nothing about torture. If we did it all at once it would end too quickly and that’s no fun. Raya was just starting in on the fun stuff when you intruded.”
I couldn’t believe Julie was so heartless. Spell or no spell, I couldn’t believe my heart thought it loved her for so many years.
At least Ailaina got away. I hoped she would find Es, or Ian. I needed to find a way to stay alive here long enough to help them when they came. Although my strength was all but gone and I wasn’t sure how I would be of any help.
Esmerelda
“It’s okay, Es, I’m sure she’s fine.” Ian tried to reassure me but all I could see was Ailaina screaming and blood pouring from her skin.
I rocked back and forth in the passenger seat of the car. “It’s not okay. They are torturing her because of me. She’s gonna die.” I couldn’t breathe anymore. “Oh God, I think I’m gonna be sick.”
“Es, you need to breathe, calm down.”
I lifted my head to stare at him. I couldn’t believe he just told me that. “Calm down? I can’t calm down and you have no right to tell me that. My best friend is being cut open as we speak, and you want me to calm down!”
“Okay, wrong choice of words.” He pulled the car into a motel parking lot. “Are you okay for a minute? I’m going to get a room so we can find out what’s happening.”
I nodded. I wasn’t okay, not with stopping, not with getting a room, not with anything. I couldn’t believe Ailaina was dying, and I couldn’t do anything about it. It was all my fault. If I hadn’t been sleeping. If I wasn’t a witch. So many things plagued my mind with guilt.
“Es,” Luna whispered gently in my head.
I sniffed and tried to slow my breathing. Slowly I raised my head and wiped the tears from my face. “What?”
“It’s Ailaina, I can feel her. Her spirit is weak, but she’s trying to get through to you
.”
I perked up even more.
“You need to calm down and listen. She needs you.”
Luna was right, so was Ian. I needed to calm down if I was going to find a way to help her.
I tried to relax my shoulders and closed my eyes. All at once another vision entered my head.
Ailaina was running. She looked over her shoulder at Jarak just in time to see him get shot with a stream of magic, keeping him in the house as she ran away from him. “Help me, Es!”
Then everything went black. Great. I knew she escaped, but how far did she get? Was she safe? Call me, Ailaina, please call me. I gripped my cell phone tightly and watched the screen, expecting it to light up any moment.
Ian opened the car door, making me jump. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Ailaina showed me another vision. She’s weak so I didn’t get much. She escaped, but everything went black before I could see anything else.”
Ian took my hand and squeezed it. “Told you she’d be okay. She’s a strong woman, like you.”
“Ian, I don’t think I can do this anymore. Too many people are getting hurt. People I love.”
“It’s because of that, that you need to do it. We need your help, Es.”
“This is bigger than breeds and waking witches from the dead. What if I’m not strong enough? What if someone else dies?” I thought of those last moments with Bry.
He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it, then brought it to his lap and rubbed tiny circles over my knuckles. “More people will die, that is certain, but if we don’t stop him, all of us will die.”
I hated it when he made sense. “But what if it’s you?”
“You won’t get rid of me that easily, Princess.” He leaned over and gave me a light kiss. “Now, let’s get to our room and figure out what our plan is.”
Twelve
Ian
I heard the shower stop and knew Es would be out any moment. I touched the end button on my cell screen. That call couldn’t have ended any sooner. Tapping my phone on my palm, I contemplated the news Torres had. Jarak was alive, but weak. Hela finally got through to Maztic, and he told him how they were separated, and neither of them was doing well. At least we had some good news: Jarak wasn’t a traitor, he hadn’t switched sides.