By the time the sun was setting, Forrest and I stirred in the hammock. I felt more rested than I had in a long while, though my neck and ankles throbbed. He cupped my cheek warmly as he kissed me.
“Feeling alright?” he asked.
“Yes, think so,” I said, voice still a little rough, but my throat didn’t hurt as bad as before.
“Sounds like the sorcerers have arrived.”
He glanced toward the house, and I followed his gaze, hearing the extra voices inside, though to be honest, it was hard to tell with so many taking up residence here now.
From the outside, the house appeared as a large, two-story, but inside the witches had transformed it into a mansion with more than fifty bedrooms, several bathrooms, and even a second kitchen where they’d been busy mixing potions.
“Ready to go inside?”
Carefully, we extracted ourselves from the hammock, nearly flipping it over anyway, laughing as we staggered into one another. His hand never left mine as we hurried back inside to find Abby and Harold having a heated conversation in the kitchen.
“Something wrong?” Forrest asked.
“No, just differing opinions, as always,” Harold informed us with a wink.
Abby rolled her eyes. “Of the two of us, I am the eldest, and I say we do it the way I suggested.”
“Why don’t we compromise, just this once, eh? For old time’s sake? I mean the world is about to end, Abby,” Harold mused. “Why not live a little before it does? Be adventurous.”
“Fine, fine. We’ll see what the others have to say about it.”
“Where are the others?” I asked quietly.
“Already gathering in the summoning chamber.”
I frowned at her. “I’m sorry, the what? You added that to the house, too?”
“Didn’t have much of a choice, we needed the space. It’s beyond the old living room. Go on now, Kate and the others are already in there.”
Abby shooed us out of the kitchen, and we went on our way to the new summoning chamber. There were no chairs, but the new sorcerers, wearing their robes, instead of the flannel shirt Harold seemed to favor, were busy drawing chalk circles and symbols on the stone floor. The witches were following them, dropping herbs from bowls. Every now and then, a blue spark lit up an area of the circle, and the witch would nod. I took it as a good sign, not even sure if this would work or not.
“What do you think they’re going to see?” Kate asked me as I planted myself at her side.
“Hopefully nothing terrible,” I replied. “Hopefully Baladon miraculously dead and the realms back to normal.”
“That would be a miracle,” Sabella sighed. “Crazier things have happened, right?”
Abby and Harold arrived a few minutes later with Keanu, Bear, and Phoebe in tow, all wanting to witness this attempt. Abby told us to remain near the door and away from the circles, so we would not get caught up in the magic. We did as she instructed, then watched as the sorcerers and witches joined together, covering every chalked line in the chamber.
Abby and Harold were last, both raising their right hands to dim the candles, until the only light came from the subtle blue glow of the symbols.
“If we’re able to see,” Abby told us, “the images will appear there, on the far wall.”
“Say nothing,” Harold added. “We do not know what we will see, or who. And if the enemy realizes what we’re doing, he may try to send his minions through.”
I stiffened, but Forrest was right there by my side to calm me. I’d faced down Baladon’s minions before, but this last one pushed me close to the edge of breaking. I’d been so close to disappearing again, so close to losing everything I had.
My troubled thoughts faded away as the blue light flared brighter, blinding us, and magic swirled throughout the chamber, intense and electric in nature.
Holding my breath, I watched as that magic continued to flow and move, until it slammed itself into the far wall, forming a perfect circle.
The witches and sorcerers all had their eyes closed, and I sensed them reaching out toward the realm, using the same magic the orb was powered by. They were close to the realms, knocking, so to speak, at their door.
The blue light turned violet, and then they were through.
I took a half-step closer, drawn in by what I saw on the wall. It was near Torolf, but we couldn’t see much of anything. Just darkness and fog.
The image shifted and drew closer to the castle, but then suddenly the view was cut off by a monstrous shadow form.
“Pull back,” I yelled to Abby and Harold. “Break the connection.”
“Mori, what is that?” Forrest asked worriedly.
“It’s him. It’s Baladon. Pull back!”
Two red eyes opened wide, living flames deep in their depths. Lips parted to reveal bright, white fangs. His booming laughter echoed around the chamber, deafening us all.
“You fools,” he hissed.
I watched, petrified.
His hand broke through the portal, snaking out, toward Abby and Harold. “You will not defeat me. You are powerless. You will die at my hands, and I will be unstoppable.”
His hand was followed by his arm, but he didn’t reach for Abby and Harold. Instead, his fingers inched toward the blue symbols on the floor. His fingers made contact, and a shrill shrieking echoed through the room.
The witches and sorcerers yelled right along with the sound, as if Baladon was killing them all at once. They clutched their heads, falling to the floor one after the other, until only Abby and Harold remained standing.
The blue light lifted from the symbols and the wall, sucked right into Baladon’s grasp. He was going to kill them all.
Abby, yelling in fury, reached out her right hand and slammed it into the symbol. Baladon’s bellow of rage was cut off as the portal sealed shut on his arm, slicing it cleanly off at the elbow. It landed with a sickening thud to the floor, bleeding out across the stones.
Kate ran to Abby, helping her up slowly, as the rest of us moved in, checking every witch and sorcerer. Thankfully, none were dead, but I feared something much worse had just transpired.
“Abby?” Kate was asking her softly. “Abby, can you hear me?”
The old woman nodded, but she stared at her hands wide-eyed, looking lost. “The magic. He took it. Drained us of it.”
“What?” Craig snarled. “No, he couldn’t have.”
“She’s right,” Harold whispered, sitting on the stones and shaking his head. “He’s too strong. I don’t think we can stop him.”
“We have to,” Sabella argued. “We can’t simply give up.”
“We might not have a choice,” he replied, defeated. “I’ve never felt darkness like that, never-ending, so filled with malice. I’m sorry, truly I am, but I don’t know what else we can do.”
I glanced over my shoulder. Forrest stood there, by himself, where I’d left him when I tried to get a better look. His head hung down, his arms crossed firmly over his chest. His gaze locked onto mine, and then, abruptly, he was moving through the room and out the door.
I wanted to go to him but stopped myself. He needed time to think, and I would give him that time, for I was sure he had just come to the same conclusion I had.
Our time was up. We had to move against Baladon now, before it was too late.
I glared across the room at the severed, twitching hand of Baladon, wishing we’d taken his head instead. He’d regenerate quick enough, but until then, at least he’d be the one in pain for once.
Our army of witches and sorcerers were now reduced down to men and women who had the knowledge, but no true way of using their magic. We had shifters and dragons who couldn’t shift, demons who could not go into their rage state. And six— destined to kill Baladon—who were also currently powerless. Oh yes, this war just kept getting better by the day.
Harold’s words repeated themselves over and over in my head; Baladon was too strong, he could not be defeated.
Deep down, I knew that was not true. He would be, the question was, were we ready to die to ensure a victory?