by Sarra Cannon
"It has venom in its tail, just like a real scorpion," he said. "If it gets in your system, it paralyzes you."
I scooted back. The scorpion had reached the bottom of the stairs and was now clawing at the wooden door.
"Did they mention how to kill it?"
"That's why I told you we should run," Jackson said. "They said they couldn't kill it. Its body is covered with a thick outer shell that acts like armor."
The pincer on the end of one of her front legs crashed through the door, splintering it into tiny pieces.
"Then we have to destroy the shell," I said.
The thing that used to be Mrs. Shadowford destroyed the rest of the barrier and crawled into the room, climbing onto the couch, stinger raised. Her glassy blue eyes moved from me to Jackson and back again.
I filled my lungs slowly, hearing my father's voice in my head. The only way to get ahead of the moment was to let go of my fear. Anticipate. Act instead of react.
I pushed fear-thoughts into a box in my mind and closed it. I didn't have time for worry. I didn't have time to wait for her to attack. Instead, I shifted, white smoke filling the air where my body used to be.
The transition took my breath away. I'd used my demon power in the shadow world, but it felt completely different here. Instead of charging my power from the ground and deep roots beneath the surface, I pulled from more immediate things. I felt energy soar at me from every living thing nearby, including the scorpion itself. I sucked it in and became full with it, flying faster than I ever had before. I hurled myself toward the scorpion, sending a rope of smoke around her neck and squeezing.
The monster bucked and pulled. I stumbled and almost lost my hold, but a second smokey rope joined mine, coiling around her neck. Jackson's black smoke.
I glanced at him and he was human, then demon, then human again. Charcoal-colored smoke hung like a haze around him. I gasped as his demon form came into view. In the shadow world, I'd taken a potion to make all demons appear as humans, but the potion didn't work here. I wasn't prepared for what I saw.
I lost my concentration. I stared at the mix between a winged gargoyle and a horned beast.
"Harper!" he shouted. Jackson took human form again and pointed to the sharp stinger coming straight for my head.
I let go of my hold on the scorpion and shifted just before she sank her stinger into my skin. I reappeared behind her, then created fire in my palms. Red-orange flames burned around my hands. I reached out and grabbed the scorpion's tail. She screeched as it burned through her outer shell. The stink of barbecued flesh filled the air.
Hope rushed through me. If I could destroy the shell, maybe I could kill the monster.
With a strong whip of its tail, it lifted me from the ground and sent me flying across the room. I shifted just before my head hit the wall, flew down the length of the wallpaper, and landed safely on the floor. Dizziness overcame me for a moment, but I knew I had to recover fast. Before she got a chance to strike me again.
I cartwheeled across the room, thankful for my cheer training for the first time in my life as the scorpion's claws sank into the floor where I had stood only moments before.
"Freeze her," I shouted.
Jackson lifted his hands and threw a blue light at the scorpion. Popping sounds filled the room as ice crept across the scorpion's body, starting at its tail and ending with its upraised head.
I had seen him fight this way before, and I knew someone encased in ice could be shattered and killed. I looked around for a weapon to use to shatter her before she thawed. I reached for a piece of the splintered door, ripping it from the rest of the wood.
I aimed for the beast's neck, then threw the makeshift stake as hard as I could. The sound of breaking glass filled the room as my weapon hit just below my mark. One of the scorpion monster's legs shattered and broke away from its body.
She thawed quickly and skittered toward me despite her missing leg, mouth open in an angry scream.
I jumped up, shifting just enough to hang in the air above her like a fog, my human form still visible. I sent a stream of hot flame down on her back, feeding it with more and more power.
The scorpion's protective shell began to disintegrate in the extreme heat. Underneath, her skin glistened and bubbled. She jerked her flaming head violently. I struggled to keep the flame going, but my power was drained.
Just when I thought I couldn't keep going, a girl appeared in the broken doorway. Her long blonde hair covered part of her face, but I recognized her instantly.
Courtney!
Her hands glowed red and she motioned for me to come to her. I flew across the room, reforming beside her. She placed both of her hands on my arm and energy poured into me like a waterfall. With renewed power, I strengthened the flames that surrounded the monster.
Jackson lifted dead flowers from a pink vase near the window, then tossed the moldy water onto the floor. He pulled his fingers together and lifted the water from the ground as if it were a string he could lift up in a straight line. He formed a long spear with the water, then blew his icy breath against it, freezing it in an instant.
He lifted the ice-spear and thrust it forward. Without its shell, the monster was vulnerable. The spear sank deep into the its flesh, right where its heart should be. The fire melted the weapon on contact, but it had done its job. The scorpion lifted her body into the air like a bucking horse, then fell flat against the pine floors, acid bubbling from its neck as dark green blood gushed onto the floor.
The monster's limbs seized, shaking violently before finally going still and cold.
Mrs. Shadowford was dead.
Brighton Manor
I backed away as a river of green blood spread across the wooden floor.
The three of us backed into the hallway. The stench of rot and decay was overwhelming and I had to cover my mouth. Jackson opened the front door and we stepped out onto the porch.
I hugged Courtney tight. "Thank you," I said. "You really saved us back there."
She smiled, then lowered her head to hide her face. "I'm glad you're home," she said. "I missed you."
"I missed you too. Thank god you showed up when you did. Thank you," I said. I was so happy to see her, but she couldn't stay here. If anyone found out she'd helped us, she would be in danger. "I need you to do something else for me."
"What?" She lifted her eyes to mine.
"Take the van and go straight to Lark's," I said. "Tell her what happened and that I'll be in touch soon. Her mom will be able to keep you safe. They'll figure out a story to tell the Order so no one will know you're on our side, okay?"
Her face tensed and she shook her head. "Where are you going?" she asked. "Can't I just go with you?"
Jackson coughed and leaned over, resting his hands against his knees. "It isn't safe," he said. "We don't want to drag you into this."
"But we'll need you soon," I said. "Mary Anne's back too, and she's setting up a special place for us to hide. I promise we'll come for you as soon as we can."
Courtney pushed her hair from her face and nodded. She disappeared into the house, then came back a few moments later with the keys to the van. She gave me a brief hug, then drove away.
"Holy shit, that was intense." I leaned against one of the white pillars. "I always thought Mrs. Shadowford was a monster, but I never knew it was literally true."
"I knew we might face some pretty scary stuff tonight, but that was disgusting."
I forced myself to swallow even though the lingering smell of yuck made me want to puke. "So I get that she was a scorpion of some sort, but what exactly was she? I mean, was that just her spirit animal? Like the tiger witch?"
Jackson shook his head and straightened. "No, this was something different," he said. "Like I said, Lea's talked about them before. They aren't human. Lea didn't share all the details, but she said something about them being created by the Order to act as guardians or protectors of some sort."
"Well, whatever it was, I'm glad
it's dead," I said. I walked over to the front steps and sat down, extending my legs so that I could get a better look at the gash in my thigh.
"How does it look?" Jackson asked, coming to sit beside me.
It was hard to tell with so much dried blood everywhere, but as long as it wasn't still bleeding, I was happy. "I'm fine. I just need a minute." I looked up at the big white house with its southern architecture and its never-ending secrets. "I guess we can stop calling this place Shadowford Plantation now, huh?"
Jackson twisted to follow my gaze. "It was never really hers anyway," he said. "This house has always rightfully belonged to you and your family."
It was such a strange thought. Yes, this house belonged to my family, but at what cost? The only reason it had ever been given to my family was because it was built for them by the Order when the gate here was created.
"It used to be called Brighton Manor," I said, thinking of all the women who had lived here before me. Besides my mother, had any of them been like me? Or had they all obeyed the Order like good primas should? I fiddled with the white fabric tied around my wrist and thought of the woman in white from my dreams. I wanted to think she was like me. That all my ancestors had been unwilling victims in the Order's games. "We should get upstairs. The sun should be coming up soon. I don't want to miss our chance to rescue my sister tonight."
"Are you sure you're up to it?" Jackson asked.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Don't start with me."
He rolled his eyes and stood up. "I'm not trying to talk you out of anything. If you still want to go, I'll go," he said. "I just know that a wound like that can slow us down. We want to go in there with the best chance of getting back out."
I sighed and reached up for a helping hand. "I know. I'm sorry," I said. "But we talked about this. Tonight is our best chance. Especially now that Mrs. Shadowford is dead. I'm pretty sure the Order's going to notice something like that. They'll know we're here. Plus, we used enough demon magic to alert anyone within a hundred miles to our presence."
I looked around and noticed the ivy growing up the walls was curled and dead. Proof of our presence.
"Then let's go rescue your sister," he said.
I nodded and started up the stairs, but he pulled me back into his arms. His lips came down on mine in a sweet kiss.
"You did great in there, by the way."
I studied his supple lips, then lifted my eyes to his. "My reaction time was too slow."
"Only in the beginning," he said. He lifted one hand to my cheek and caressed my skin with the back of his knuckles. "No matter what happens from here on, I want to make sure you know how much I love you."
The warmth of a blush flourished under my skin, and I leaned into his hand. "I love you, too."
We stood there, staring into each other's eyes. My heart filled with his love and confidence. We both knew we were heading toward a war that could take decades to fight. We also knew we might not survive the night. No future was certain. The only thing we could count on was this. Us.
I pulled away and stepped inside the house.
"Let's go start a war."
She's Alive
The hallway was eerily quiet.
The noise of Mrs. Shadowford's screeches still echoed in my ears. We stepped over a river of green as we made our way to the stairs. I refused to look at it. I could smell it, that was enough.
I took the stairs two at a time, Jackson on my heels.
Together, we walked to the end of the hall where the secret entrance to the third floor waited. Nerves gathered in the pit of my stomach. What would be waiting for us on the other side? Another scorpion monster? Priestess Winter herself?
My throat went dry. I coughed and straightened my shoulders. This was the point of no return.
I was ready.
I stepped into the secret passage and walked up the narrow staircase to the room with five doors. A single candle shone its light in the room, casting shadows against the walls. I turned to the door with a demon carved on its surface. The entrance to the Hall of Doorways.
"This way," I said.
The hall stretched out farther than I could see in the near darkness. My heart raced, but I moved forward with my chin high.
My hand raised to the butterfly pin in my hair. Zara had brought me down this hallway for my Heritage ceremony. That felt like a lifetime ago.
I kept walking, looking side to side at each doorway. Some had emblems or animals, while others were blank. I knew I was looking for a door with a butterfly, but I had no idea if there would be more than one. All of the women in the Winter family could shift into butterflies, but it was a common symbol. Even Lark had one form on her back when she'd gotten her tattoo.
There were probably thousands of families in the Order who could shift into butterflies.
I had to hope there was only one with a door.
After passing at least a hundred doors, I finally saw it. A blue butterfly engraved into the wood of a thick black door. Adrenaline rushed through my veins. This was it, I could feel it. I could feel her. A connection just as strong as the one I'd been able to create with Jackson in the Underground.
"She's here," I said. "I honestly don't know how I missed this before."
"Missed what?"
I turned to Jackson and smiled. "Missed my connection to her," I said, an excited fluttering in my chest. "I was so worried I wouldn't feel anything."
"What does it feel like?" he asked.
"It's amazing," I said. "I never knew what to look for before, but the second we walked up on this door, my blood began to hum. An energy that's, I don't know, somehow familiar. As if there's a piece of me that's separate and searching for a way back. She's alive, and she's somewhere behind this door."
Jackson stared at me with a glow in his eyes. "Do you think it's strong enough to find where they're keeping her?"
I closed my eyes and pictured Angela King. I could see her so clearly in my mind. Every detail of her face. Her jet black hair. I could hear her voice as if I had a recording of her in my memory. She was a part of me and now that I knew how to connect with that side of myself, I knew I would be able to find her.
"Yes," I said, hope rising up in my chest. "I can find her."
A Hundred Heartbeats
I cringed at the creaking sound that echoed through the hall as I opened the door to Winterhaven. If anyone was up at this hour, they would have heard that. We needed to act fast.
Moving to the center of the room, I sat down as Jackson paced between the five doors, ready in case anyone came through. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my sister. Our blood bond. Our demon bond.
At first, I could only feel that she was here in this house. Alive. I could tell she wasn't up here on the third floor with us, but nothing more specific was coming to me. I settled deeper into my meditation, letting the room itself fall away. I blocked the sound of Jackson's boots against the floor as he walked back and forth. I stilled my fears and my worries and all that was within my soul until it was just me and her.
Sisters.
It took me a moment to remember how to do this. I'd been able to follow Jackson through the Underground with this power, a sort of mental projection that allowed me to extend my consciousness beyond my body.
I sent my power out to search for her, my body firmly here in this room but my mind exploring the house below. I tried to remember the layout of the house from the time I was here before. I imagined walking down the large staircase and onto the second floor. I mentally searched the hallways, but I knew my sister wasn't being kept there. My connection to her urged me down, farther into Winterhaven.
The grand staircase led down to an opulent first floor. Everything was so clear in my mind, as if I had sent a ghost of myself down throughout the house. So far, I hadn't run into any other energy. If anyone was home, they had to have been asleep or in another part of the house.
I searched the main floor and my instinct brought me to another staircase of
f the kitchen. It led down to the basement. I remembered this path because it was the same one we had taken down to the room where my Heritage ritual took place all those months ago. Was my sister being kept somewhere in the basement?
I took a slow breath in, centering my mind so that I could push my vision further into the bowels of the Winter's home. My magic extended, snaking down this third staircase like a long tentacle.
My arm erupted in goose bumps and a tingle went through my core. I was close to her. She was definitely somewhere on this basement level. My mental image of her strengthened and I chased the feeling of her down the hallway, past the ritual room and finally to a narrow wooden door. For some reason, I couldn't push my vision through that door, but I knew she was there. I knew I had found my sister.
The more I focused on her energy, the closer I felt to her. Even though I couldn't see through the final door, I could feel her fear. Terror gripped her spirit and I winced, almost losing our connection. I struggled to hang on as her fear intensified. Something was definitely wrong. I needed to get down to her fast.
Quickly, I pulled myself back through the space, retracing my steps and mapping out the path I had to take.
"I know where to find her," I said, standing. "She's all the way down in the basement, but I'm pretty sure I can get down there."
"Is she okay?"
I frowned. "I couldn't see her," I said. "There was a doorway I couldn't push through, but I need to hurry. Jackson, something down there had her completely terrified."
"Maybe we should shift and just get down there as fast as we can," Jackson said. "As long as we can get close enough to her for one of us to make contact with her skin, we can shift and bring her with us."
"I've thought of that," I said. "But if we go down there and it's a trap, then the Order has us both."
Jackson ran a hand through his hair. "So what are you suggesting we do?"
I knew he wasn't going to like this next part of my plan, but for me, it was the only thing that made any sense. It was the safest way.