Alex heard voices shouting his name, and felt someone gripping his shoulders, shaking him. His eyes jolted open. “Herne’s horns! What the hell’s going on?” he groaned.
“You scared the shit out of us, that’s what!” Newton said, looming over him.
“I did? What did I do?” He struggled to sit up, and Newton extended a hand, helping to pull him upright.
Alex’s head pounded, and he rubbed his face, feeling it covered with dust and grit. He blinked, the black spots in his vision finally clearing, and he saw Briar sitting next to him, pale and silent. “Briar, are you okay?”
“I am now! For one horrible moment…”
Memories of the explosion flooded back, and he suddenly remembered finding a trapdoor covered by layers of earth, alerted to its presence by the seal of magic.
“I think I found the passage!” He looked around him, realising he was sitting on a mound of dirt a short distance from where he’d originally been. Ash, Cassie, and Ben were there now, peering into a hole in the ground and talking quietly.
“I remember now. I released the door, and felt a surge of power. I tried to deflect it.” He looked behind him. “That way.”
Newton nodded. “You successfully deflected it, but you’ve also brought the next cave’s roof down.”
“Shit! Avery!” He’d reacted so instinctively that he’d had no time to think about where to direct the blast. “What if they were in there?”
Briar regarded him steadily. “Hopefully they’ve thrown up a protective shield, or were on the beach, but it would be good to know for sure. Any chance you could try to connect to them? I mean,” she glanced to where the hole in the floor beckoned, “we need to go, but it would be good to see if they’re okay first.”
“Sure.” He nodded wishing the ringing in his ears would stop.
Newton stood up. “I’m going to join the others. Make it quick, Alex. We need to get moving.”
As he trudged over to the others, Briar said, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. Sorry I gave you a shock.” He knew exactly what she’d been fearing…and remembering.
“I’ll forgive you.” She stood, too. “I’ll give you some privacy and see you over there.”
Alex took a few deep breaths and then reached out his awareness, feeling for Avery with his subconscious. He’d done this before, and because of their strong connection he could normally find her quickly, but now…nothing. Frustrated, he kept trying, but it was as if something was blocking him, and he realised it was probably the strong magic that was pouring through the trap door. He rose to his feet and joined the others, staring at the steps leading downwards.
“Any luck?” Briar asked.
“Nope. Too much energy buzzing around.” He tried to sound more confident than he felt. “I’m sure they’re fine.”
“I agree,” Ash said, turning to him. The Nephilim looked as dusty as the rest of them, but his eyes burned with intrigue. “Glad to see you’re back on your feet.” He gestured to the passage. “Quick question before we head down there. You say this was sealed?”
Alex nodded. “Yeah, with magic. Nothing complex. I didn’t expect that surge of power to come out of it.”
“Well,” Briar said, “unpleasant though that was, I think it confirms we’re heading in the right direction. The centre of Virginia and Serephina’s spell is through there.”
Ben’s EMF meter was issuing a high-pitched, steady whine, and he said, “There’s some serious psychic energy in there—lots! I think this is spirit central.”
“Why do I have the feeling we’re entering a crypt?” Cassie asked.
Ash swept the Empusa’s sword from its scabbard. “Unfortunately, I think that’s exactly what this is. Ready?”
“Ready,” Alex answered, already taking the first step downwards. “Let’s finish this.”
Avery led Dylan and El down the tunnel that cut into the cliff, a witch-light bobbing ahead of them.
When she’d used witch-flight to fly to the tunnel’s entrance, she found a series of shallow steps carved into the rock, leading up to the headland above, and she’d wondered if it was an escape route. Confirming the tunnel was clear, she’d fetched the others, and they’d now been walking inland for several minutes, on a steady downward trajectory. She quickened as she heard the boom of surf, and seeing a glow of green light ahead, extinguished the witch-light. Feeling the light was ominously familiar, she cautiously edged forward before coming to a sudden stop, the others clustering around her.
“What’s going on?” El asked.
“Herne’s bollocks,” Dylan muttered as they took in the space in front of them. “It’s a bloody pirate lair!”
They were at the side of a large cavern that glowed with a green and blue light. It emanated from a spectral, blazing fire on a beach edging a deep-water cove. The light made it seem as if the whole place was underwater, just like Reuben’s attic. The bay was cut off from the sea by a massive wall of fractured rock that had sheered a ship in the bay in half. The rotten timbers wallowed in the deep water, leaving only the bowsprit, masts, and tattered sails visible.
Tiers of rock led up from the beach, filled with wooden barrels bound with iron, old wooden boxes, and chests. Rough tables and chairs, mostly decomposing, were grouped on the far side, behind which was a dark archway that Avery presumed led to another cave or tunnel. The upper levels of the cave were cloaked in shadow.
Even more chilling were the bones of dozens of men spread across the levels.
This was definitely the centre of the curse. Avery could feel it drenching the air around them.
Before Avery could even begin to work out what to do, there was a slow handclap from the top tier, and a glowering figure materialised out of the shadows, fire gleaming where there should be eyes. It was a broad shouldered, powerfully built man, wearing old-fashioned clothing and knee-length boots. He laughed, the sound booming out around them.
In seconds, dozens of other figures appeared, and Avery froze as a blade was pressed to her throat, a weather-beaten, ghoulish face leering into her own.
Alex heard shots, shouts, and the sounds of clashing metal. He ran, heedless of the uneven floor and poor light, until he saw a whirling blade slicing through the air.
He batted it away, and yelled, “Something’s coming!”
A spectral hand grabbed his shirt beneath his throat and lifted him up, smashing him against the roof. Alex twisted, narrowly avoiding smacking his head, and punched out a blast of pure energy on instinct.
The ghost vanished, and Alex crashed to the floor, but another spectre emerged as Alex struggled to his feet, furious at having been caught out. The gathering energy was completely throwing him, leaving him unable to detect anything remotely magical or supernatural around him.
But Ash was already thundering past him, the Empusa’s sword swinging to dispatch the spirit, and then he charged onwards. Newton hauled Alex to his feet and they raced after him, finally emerging onto a narrow shelf of rock at the back of a large cave.
For a bewildering moment, Alex thought he was underwater, as green light rippled around him, and then he saw Avery, El, and Dylan below, furiously fighting a dozen spirits that surrounded them. Magic flashed, swords clashed, and Dylan blasted his shotgun.
Alex had a moment of pure relief at seeing them alive, and then horror at their predicament. But Ash, wings outstretched, was already soaring down to assist them. Alex felt a sharp sting across his ear and the shattering of stone as a bullet ricocheted past. A spirit sneered at him, only feet away, with an old-fashioned musket in his hand. Before he could fire again, Alex uttered a banishing spell, satisfied as the spirit vanished with a howl.
His relief was short-lived, however, as other spirits manifested around them. Before he could attack again, he was aware of Cassie, Ben, Briar, and Newton lining up next to him, advancing as one.
The next few minutes were bewildering.
Alex hesitated to think of their attackers as ghosts. They may have an Otherworldly shimmer to them, and could pop in and out of vision, but they had a startlingly strong physical form, capable of touch. He and his friends were weaving in and out, ducking, diving, throwing spells and desperately trying to avoid the quick stab of blades. He was vaguely aware of Ben pulling bottled spells out of his pocket, and felt a blast of fire race past him as Cassie hurled a globe at the nearest spirit.
“Whoa!” he shouted, rolling to avoid the blast. “Careful where you throw that!”
“Sorry!” she yelled, breathless, and then out of nowhere, a spirit appeared and threw her down the tiers of rock like a rag doll. Fortunately, she rolled athletically, leaping to her feet again.
Alex turned away, a flash of movement distracting him.
A giant man grabbed Alex around the throat and pinned him to the wall. His breath was rancid, and Alex recoiled. Fire burned where his eyes should be, and he rasped in his face. “You made a mistake today, boy! You’ll all die. No outsider breaches my cave and lives.”
Boy?
“Screw you!” Alex yelled, convinced he was now fighting Coppinger.
He pressed his palm to Coppinger’s face, scorching him with elemental fire, and his clammy skin started to slip from his features, revealing the bone beneath. But Coppinger tightened his grip around Alex’s throat. He was horribly strong, fuelled by rage and hate, and his spirit was powerful.
A resounding blast caused Coppinger to drop him and vanish, and Newton appeared to his right, already reloading his shotgun. “You okay?”
“Not really,” Alex said, bewildered and breathless. “I think they’re toying with us.”
“And someone else has just turned up,” Newton said with a scowl, and he pointed to a flurry of activity below.
Ethan had just entered the cave from another entrance below, closely followed by Mariah and Zane. As Alex stared down at them, Mariah lifted her gaze and smiled at him triumphantly.
Caspian took a deep breath and looked up at Reuben’s anxious face, willing himself to be patient. “Have you got a way to break this?”
“No. We’re taking too long,” Reuben said to him.
“Shut up and keep trying.”
But he was right, Caspian reflected. They had untangled the spell a good half an hour ago, and he was still no closer to working out how to break it. He’d glared at it, and paced around it, but it refused to give up its inner workings. He’d had one interesting idea, but was worried about the repercussions on his friends.
That word brought him up short. Friends. He’d never viewed the White Haven witches as that before. Well, Briar maybe, and certainly Avery. But Alex, El, Reuben, or Newton? Never. He blinked and rubbed his brow. He was getting soft in his old age.
Or maybe loneliness was driving him to it.
He’d never thought of himself as lonely, ever. But being around Reuben these last few days had made him realise how few true friendships he really had. How sad did that make him? Could he even count Gabe as a friend? Or Shadow? He employed them, so maybe not.
Annoyed with his sentimental internal waffling, he focussed on the spell, starting to talk it through.
“Focus, Reuben. This is a big spell, encompassing all of Coppinger’s men, his treasure, his ship, and the deep ocean. Elemental power at its strongest. It uses their greed against them. It has tied their spirits to the treasure, making them forever restless, and Mariah has used that, fuelling their spirits somehow.”
“Are the spriggans a side effect?” Reuben asked, leaning back in his chair, his hands behind his head. “Or are they part of this spell?”
“They’re not mentioned, so they are not part of the spell, no. They’re drawn to the treasure, and as natural Otherworldly creatures, they are unaffected by the curse. Anyway, forget the spriggans.” He stared at the spell again, the words shimmering in the air before him. “Curses are hard to break. It took all of us to lift the spell from El. If you remember, that was an earth-based spell.”
Reuben nodded. “Yes. It suffocated her spirit, burying her alive.”
“This one uses water in a similar way. It’s like the curse is suspended in deep water. I can sense its weight. You untangled a stream of it from the words, but water is still an integral part of it. I’m wondering, if we can get rid of the water, will the curse crack?”
Reuben sat forward, leaning his arms on the table. “You’re saying the water is protecting the curse, like a bubble. Which is why my attic felt like it was underwater earlier.”
“Yes.”
“But what about the words of the spell? Won’t Coppinger’s spirit still be bound to his treasure?”
“I don’t think so. Once the water’s gone, so are they! In theory, at least.” Caspian struggled to find the right words. “It’s like letting the bathwater down a plug hole. It will take the cursed spirits with it.”
“So we need to create a plug hole?” He looked alarmed, his voice rising. “Like a bloody great whirlpool? That’s insane!”
“I know.” He worried his lips with his fingers, staring into Reuben’s wide blue eyes. “Where would we siphon it to?”
Reuben was silent for a moment, his gaze drifting to the spell again. “I’ve got a better idea! We freeze and shatter it.”
Caspian blinked with surprise. “I like that idea better. Although, we run the risk of freezing everyone to death.”
“I think that option is better than sucking them into some great whirlpool of doom.”
“Of course, we could also superheat the water, turning it into steam and evaporate it.”
“And boil them to death instead?”
Caspian grimaced. “Let’s go with the ice thing. I think it’s the lesser of the three evils.”
“Ya think?” Reuben said sarcastically. He flexed his fingers and glared at the spell. “Let’s get this shit-show on the road.”