“He meant to miss us with that one,” Alyx said calmly.
“Why would he try to miss?” Justin asked.
“Because of Dani,” she answered. Alyx looked at me in the rear-view mirror. “Your boyfriend is doing something to keep some control. He obviously isn’t going to let Maksim hurt you.” She added, her voice suddenly angry, “But the first one was definitely for me. I don’t think either dude likes me much.”
I looked back again, half expecting to see Seth and Dirk materialize behind our car, but I saw nothing except the glow of the Subaru’s tail lights.
“I don’t think we need these any more,” Justin said, ripping his night goggles off. “Alyx, what exactly did you do back there?”
She shrugged.
He turned to me. “What if she’s the same as Seth?” he demanded. “I mean, look at her, Dani. She’s part of that Goth group. Don’t you think—”
“She’s been helping me, Justin!” I said. “And she isn’t like Seth. She doesn’t have an attachment! She just knows a lot about this stuff.”
“Why does she know so much?” he demanded. “You know, I think maybe we should just walk from here.”
“Knock it off, Justin,” I snapped.
“Alyx, let us out!” He fumbled with the door handle.
Alyx jammed on the brakes, and the car skidded to a stop. Her finger tapped against the steering wheel. “Go ahead. Get out.”
“Come on, Dani.” He opened the door, tugging on my arm.
“No.” I pulled away.
“What the hell do you know about her? Maybe she’s as dangerous as Seth!”
“She’s my friend, Justin! That’s all I need to know.”
The car lurched forward, rocks spitting up behind us.
“Discussion over,” Alyx murmured. “He’s following us.”
The car bumped off the dirt and back onto the highway. The glow of headlights lit up the darkness behind us.
“We need to get out of his sight,” Alyx said.
Justin said nothing, and wouldn’t look at me, but he did reach over to squeeze my hand.
And I squeezed back, but I wasn’t sure who was comforting whom.
We were all silent as Alyx drove toward Ponderay, a nondescript town consisting mainly of strip malls. I seriously doubted that we could escape Seth and Maksim, especially there—not if Maxsim truly wanted to find us.
The car slowed as Alyx turned left onto a road leading to the back entrance of the JC Penny. “Maybe we can lose them if we hide here for a little while,” she said.
As we sat behind the store in the dark car for fifteen excruciatingly long minutes, we realized Seth wasn’t coming.
“So now what?” Justin had a good point.
“We need to find him,” Alyx answered.
I shook my head. “No, I need to find him. Take me to my house and I’ll get my car. You both have done enough.”
Both Alyx and Justin shot down the idea before I even finished.
“Nah-uh. No way,” Alyx said first.
“I don’t think so, Dani,” Justin said. “I’ll go. Seth will listen to me. I’m not the one he’s after,” he shot a pointed look at Alyx.
Alyx turned in her seat. “Yeah? And what are you going to tell him? To stop playing with fire? Stop trying to hurt Dani? Why the hell would he listen to you?”
“Well, at least he doesn’t try throwing fireballs at me.”
“Listen, I think I’m a little better equipped to handle this than you are, Justin.”
“Would you guys knock it off?” I glanced between the two of them and decided I couldn’t let either of them be a part of this anymore. It was getting too dangerous. None of us knew what Seth was capable of and to what extent he’d go. And there was no way to know how much control Maksim had right now.
This was my fight. Between me and Maksim. I wasn’t being all heroic or anything. I was definitely scared, and even though I was willing to die for Seth if I had to, I was not willing to put my friends’ lives in danger for me.
I turned back to Justin. “You’re right, you’re not the one he’s after.” I looked at Alyx. “And neither are you. It’s me he wants. I’ll go to him.” I held up my hand as they both started to talk. “I’m not saying I’m going to stand in front of him and sacrifice myself to him, but maybe if I can connect to Seth, I think we can fight it together.”
“Absolutely not,” Justin said, leaning back hard and crossing his arms over his chest as if that was the final word on the subject.
“Yeah, well, that’s all romantic and smells likes pretty pink roses and stuff, but the reality is that he’s unpredictable. Both of them are. We need to do this together or not at all. The three of us might stand a chance, but alone,” Alyx shook her head. “Too risky.”
“I agree, but I still think Dani should stay out of this,” Justin said.
It was my turn to protest, but Alyx jumped in for me.
“She’ll keep Seth focused. As long as he can anchor to you, Dani, he’ll have a chance.”
Justin made a funny little noise, a cross between a grunt and a snarl, but he didn’t say anything more.
“So what’s the plan?” I asked Alyx.
“No plan,” she said, looking at herself in the rear-view mirror again, then back at Justin, then out the windshield. “Just winging it. I mean, how do you plan for something as unpredictable as this?”
“We’ve got to find him first. He could be anywhere,” Justin finally said.
“Sandpoint isn’t that big, I’m sure—” Alyx froze. “Wait.” Alyx held up her hand. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” I shook my head and glanced back at Justin who was watching Alyx through the rear-view mirror, his eyes narrowing just a little. They had this stare-down thing going on between them for a few seconds before Alyx looked away, to her own reflection. She gasped quietly but quickly coughed and started rubbing her eyes.
“Alyx,” Justin started to say, but she cut him off with a hard shake of her head.
“You okay?” I asked, reaching for her arm, but she shook me off and nodded.
“Hang on a second.” Alyx looked upward, turned her head slightly to her left, then to her right, tilting her head slightly as if straining to hear something. Her eyes widened in surprise. “He’s back at the school.”
“Who?” asked Justin. “Seth?”
My seat belt caught me tight across my chest as Alyx quickly put the Subaru in reverse before sending me back into my seat when she pulled out of the parking lot.
“Yep. Now’s our chance to end this.”
He is a worthy adversary, not like the others. Weak, they were, pretending to be horrified at the atrocities committed. They shielded their eyes against the blood that spilled, condemning others for their crimes, while secretly peeking through their windows as the events unfolded. But not this one. He still believes in love. He still believes that he has a choice.
I mean to teach him otherwise.
~ Maksim
Chapter 32
Seth and Dirk couldn’t have been here that long—fifteen minutes tops, because the doors on the south end of the school had been fried and the metal was still too hot to touch. As we stood staring at it, I shuddered. Maksim appeared to be back in control now.
“Let’s go inside,” Alyx said.
We edged past the still-glowing doors, hanging on their hinges, and moved down the halls towards the Commons. I swore under my breath at the sound of echoing laughter—Seth’s and Dirk’s voices.
“Dude,” Dirk said. “You know the cops are going to be all over the place with the doors all blown apart like that.”
“There wasn’t a choice. There was no other way in. I had to get them away from the woods. It was too secluded there,” Seth answered.
“What are you talking about? We were fine out there.”
“I need to keep her safe.”
“Whatever,” Dirk said. “I’m going to take a piss.”
In the dim li
ght, we could see Dirk move away from Seth, who stood motionless in the middle of the room, his hands shoved into his jacket pockets, his head tipped forward.
“Freakin’ asshole.” Alyx fixed a hard stare at Dirk’s back.
It’s now or never, I thought, steeling my nerves. I took a step into the Commons, but Alyx grabbed my arm.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed.
“Seth doesn’t have Dirk to help him now. I have to talk to him.”
“And what if you can’t?” Justin shook his head. “It’s too risky, Dani.”
“We don’t have time to talk about this.” I said firmly, pulling away from Alyx.
I walked quickly toward Seth, Alyx and Justin right behind me. As I got closer, I could sense the intense darkness engulfing Seth. His achingly handsome, high-cheek-boned face was like granite. Cold, gray, unmoving.
“Seth?” I whispered, staring into his black eyes. I put my hands against his chest, feeling his muscles tighten under them.
“Careful, Dani…” Alyx warned. She moved to Seth’s side while Justin came around to flank me.
But I knew my touch had re-connected the two of us and I staggered at the jolt of emotion.
“Please, Seth, talk to me,” I begged.
The dim lights above us flashed to bright, full power and I jumped.
Dirk leaned against the wall, grinning. “He doesn’t want you anymore, bitch. Time to move on.”
Alyx whirled around to face Dirk, planted one foot in front of the other, and pressed her palms against the air. “Back off, numbnuts.”
“Pfff! Are you kidding me? What do you think you are, a Power Ranger?”
Alyx’s arms dropped to her side and her shoulders slumped, like he had just taken the wind out of her sails.
Dirk pushed himself off the wall and began closing the space between them, strutting like there was nothing that could stop him.
My whole body tensed up. I wanted to scream at her. It seemed to take forever for Alyx to react. At first she fumbled with her amulet and mumbled something as Dirk’s steps got faster and the distance between them shorter. Justin and I, and I think even Seth, stood perfectly still, watching the inevitable clash between them. It was too close, too fast. My warning got stuck in my throat and I couldn’t look away.
I don’t know what it was that Alyx did, but Dirk’s face was suddenly vulnerable and confused.
“I… don’t… What… the… ?”
Seth moaned, “No!”
I forgot all about Alyx and Dirk. I grabbed at Seth’s waist and glanced over at Justin. “Help me,” I pleaded.
But Seth lifted an arm in Dirk’s direction, and like a frightened dog coming to his master, Dirk slunk toward him.
Justin and I grabbed Seth’s arm, but Alyx was already a step ahead of us. Pockets of air pulsed around us, then, just like in the woods, she shoved what was like an invisible wall at Dirk so fast and hard, his hulking body stopped short.
“Huh?” Dirk’s jaw dropped when he realized he couldn’t get past the wall. Looking first at Seth and then to Alyx, he understood. It was Alyx who held him back.
“Don’t even think about fighting me, you dumb jock.” Alyx stared at Dirk, daring him to test her.
Seth’s—or rather Maksim’s—fury was obvious as he turned his attention to Alyx.
“Seth! No!” I tried desperately to hold him back, but his body had turned rock-solid and he shook me off as if I was nothing more than a pesky fly. Whatever objects that stood between him and Alyx didn’t stand a chance. Shoving and kicking chairs and tables, dragging us along with him, he got within a few feet of her in a matter of seconds.
Alyx’s eyes narrowed into determined blue slashes and with one palm keeping Dirk grounded, she used the other hand to scoop the air around her. Then she threw enough force at Seth to slow him, but not enough to stop him. I’m not sure anything could have stopped him at that point.
My hands slid from Seth’s waist as he pulled away, out of my grip. “Stop it, Seth!” I cried.
“I can’t hold him, Dani,” Justin’s voice cracked. “I… can’t…”
Alyx’s body shook with the strain of stopping both Seth and Dirk. I could see the indecision in her eyes as she looked at Dirk then at Seth. But it was too late. Seth broke through her barrier and she gave up.
Alyx took two backward steps to Seth’s one forward step before she ran out of room—backing right into Dirk.
Dirk caught her and laughed, fisting Alyx’s hair and throwing her on the floor.
She scrambled back up. “It’ll take more than that to stop me, you asshole!” Alyx spat.
Dirk grinned. “Wanna bet?” He pushed her down, straddled her, and wrapped his hands around her throat.
Justin pushed past me. “Get off of her!” he yelled, grabbing Dirk’s arm and pulling him off Alyx as Alyx jumped up again.
I whirled around and faced Seth. “Seth! Make him stop!”
But there was no reaction from him, not a blink, nothing.
There was no way I was taking silence for an answer. I had to get through. “Hey, Maksim! This is between you and me, not them!” I pulled back and slapped Seth’s cheek hard, so hard I felt the pain from the contact shoot up my arm and straight to my jaw.
But that got his attention, because his eyes, like stone, bore down into mine, and his lips pulled back in a snarl.
“Yeah, you bastard! I’m talking to you! There is no way you can win! Love is light and light will always—” The rest of my really great speech died on my lips because Seth’s body suddenly jerked, then seemed to fold up into himself, before he stood up to his full height.
“Seth?” My voice faltered. His eyes were blacker than black now.
Before I could take a step towards him, his arms flew outward, his head whipped back, and I could almost see a blast of energy shoot out from Seth. The blast threw me off my feet, sending me backward into the trophy case. My back and arms stung as shards of glass pierced my skin. Sports trophies fell from the shelves and around me.
Seth turned and faced Dirk, his hands fisted at his sides.
“Seth!” I yelled, pushing myself up and away from the case. I ran towards him. “Fight it! Fight it!”
With an agonized cry, Seth raised his hands and threw energy at Dirk’s back. The force of it lifted the tables, flipping them on their sides, sending tables and chairs skidding toward Justin, Alyx, and Dirk, knocking them down like pins at a bowling alley.
Seth’s lips pulled back and his eyes rolled back until all I could see was white. Then his balance started to waver.
“Get. Off. Me!” I could hear Alyx yell from the other side of the room.
Seth clutched his stomach and before I could reach him, and he went down hard, his head hitting the floor with a sickening thud.
I ran to his side and rolled him onto his back, crouching down next to him. He was so still, his forehead smooth and the hard lines around his mouth gone. Running my fingers down his neck, I was able to find his pulse—a weak one—but it was there.
“Oh, Seth. Where are you?” I smoothed his hair back from his face, not knowing what to do next. He was in there, somewhere. But then again, so was Maksim. How much time did we have before he came back? A scent of… something metallic caught me off guard. I pulled my hand back and saw the smear of blood across my fingers.
“We have to get Seth to the hospital!” I shouted to Justin and Alyx, who stood over Dirk.
Alyx shoved against Justin’s shoulder and lifted her chin in my direction.
“Come on!” I screamed.
Justin ran back to me and squatted on the other side of Seth. “Get under his arm,” he said, doing the same. “On the count of three. One… two…”
On three we lifted, wrapping our arms around Seth’s waist.
I strained under Seth’s weight, ignoring the stinging wounds on my back and arms.
“A little help here, Alyx?” I called out.
But she was bent over
Dirk, passing her hands over his still body.
“Is Dirk alive?” Justin grunted loudly as he shifted Seth’s weight, slinging Seth’s arm over his shoulder.
Alyx’s hands came down. “Yeah, unfortunately,” she said. Her foot came back and she gave Dirk a hard kick in the ribs before turning on her heel and walking towards us.
She helped Justin and me drag Seth down the hall, back the way we’d come in. By the time we got to her Subaru, my shoulders were screaming from the strain and my knees were shaking.
“Geez, he’s heavy,” Justin grunted.
Alyx climbed in the back seat of the car. “Lift him up,” she ordered us, “and I’ll pull him in.”
After getting him all the way in, Justin got into the front passenger seat and, I got into the back seat with Seth. As gently as I could, I lifted Seth’s head onto my lap.
“What exactly did you do back there?” Justin asked Alyx.
Alyx rested her head against the steering wheel, worn with exhaustion. “It was something I’d read about. Never had a chance to try it out until now, though.”
Justin stared at her. “It looked like a… a spell or something.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, kind of.” She started up the engine and threw the car into gear.
“Right.” Justin slapped the side of his head with his hand. “I had to ask.” He added, “Okay, so what was it supposed to do?”
“Well,” she said, “if it works, his penis will fall off.”
Justin’s jaw dropped. “You’re joking, right?” he asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
“And if it doesn’t work,” Alyx said, grinning, “at least he has some broken ribs.”
I put my hand on Seth’s forehead. “He’s burning up, Alyx,” I said anxiously. “Justin, can you call Seth’s dad and have him meet us at the hospital? I’m going to call my mom.”
Alyx looked at me in the rear-view mirror. “Are you sure taking him to the hospital is a good plan?”
“What other choice do we have?” I demanded.
“Well, what are we going to tell everyone? Seth has an ancient sorcerer inside him and he’s, like, really dangerous?”
“Alyx, I don’t care what we tell anyone. I won’t lose Seth!” Tears welled up in my eyes.
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