The man entered the room, threatening Eve as he had done a day before. Except this time, everything was taking place in real time—every thought, word, and sentiment mirroring what Addison had witnessed in her vision. And though Eve warned against Addison interfering, as the scene unfolded, she found herself struggling between honoring Eve’s request and fighting the man in the hopes of sparing Eve’s life.
Seconds ticked by … inching closer and closer to Eve’s final breath.
Did Addison step in, or did she step out, remaining unseen as Eve had requested?
“I will find her with or without your help, Eve,” he said.
“And she’ll be ready for you when you do.”
“This is your final chance. Tell me where she is, and tell me where the book of enchantments is, and maybe I’ll spare the rest of your pathetic life. Tell me now.”
“Never.”
“All right, Eve. You’ve made your decision, and I’ve made mine.”
I can’t watch this and do nothing.
Eve doesn’t deserve to die.
I must do something.
I must help her!
The man raised a finger to Eve’s head, and Addison burst forward, shouting, “Noooo!”
The man gritted his teeth, wrenching his head back to see who had spoken. The glass on the windowpane shattered, and a burst of wind funneled inside, circling around Addison like a cyclone. Unable to see, she thrust her hands forward, fighting to free herself from the bonds that trapped her. Darkness flooded the room, the weighted heaviness thick and immobilizing. Loud voices echoed back and forth, and though she tried to listen, she struggled to make out any of the words.
Enough!
I refuse to be cornered any longer.
Addison closed her eyes and chanted, “I will not give in. I will fight. Release me back into the light.”
All at once, the hissing of the wind was silenced. Addison glanced around, finding herself alone in the room. The man was gone, and Eve’s wheelchair was parked in the room’s center. Eve was nowhere to be found. Addison’s attempt to save her had failed, and the vision had been carried out just as it had been predicted.
Addison hung her head as she walked toward the wheelchair, kneeling over it as she whispered, “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”
With all the power she now possessed, she was confused as to why she hadn’t succeeded. It was as if someone had derailed her endeavor to alter Eve’s fate.
But whom?
And why?
Addison stared at the window, watching and waiting for the raven to appear as he had before, but this time, the raven didn’t come. She approached what remained of the shattered windowpane and peeked outside, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Part of her wanted to remain at the manor, sifting through its nooks and crannies to see what secrets she might uncover. But a sudden twinge of uneasiness turned her thoughts to home.
Eve was dead, and for now, the mysteries hidden within Crawley Manor would have to wait.
Addison returned to her car and called home, pushing the speakerphone as she pulled onto the road. “Hey, is everyone okay?”
“Yeah, we’re fine,” Luke said. “We’ve been in the backyard, playing with Amara Jane. How are things going with you? Did you meet your cousin?”
“I … ahh, yeah.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I couldn’t save her, Luke. I thought I could, and I tried, but I couldn’t, and now … she’s gone.”
“I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
“I’m trying to be.”
“What happened?”
“When I arrived, I met with Eve, and we talked for a while. She said she’d had a vision, and that long ago our ancestors hid a book of black arts in a cave, trying to keep it out of the hands of those who would use it for the wrong reasons. After all this time, Eve believed the book had been located, and there’s a good chance it’s been taken.”
“Does she know who might have it?”
“She couldn’t tell me before she, you know … died. Right before, I tried to get her to reveal her murderer, but she didn’t. I have a feeling Samael’s brother is responsible. If not him, Samael himself is to blame, and I worry he may be in possession of the book.”
Luke went silent, and Addison contemplated whether she should have waited to mention the book and what had occurred until later. At times, the situations Addison faced were hard for Luke to take, and even harder now that they had Amara Jane. But she’d made a promise years before to always tell him the truth, no matter how difficult. She hadn’t yet revealed she was at the center of it all, and that the person the man was seeking was her, but she would. And she had no doubt Luke already suspected as much.
“I know what I’ve just told you is a lot to take in,” Addison said.
There was a long pause. “If you’re right, and Samael or some other person possesses the book, what happens now?”
“Guess it depends on what that person wants to do with it. I need to get to the cave, see if the book is still there.”
“And if it’s not? What then?”
“I will have no choice but to deal with Samael, his brother, or whoever is responsible for stealing it. I will not allow my father or anyone else to take over the world, ruining the lives of everyone in it.”
“I’m worried about you, worried about Amara Jane.”
“I know you are,” Addison said. “We’ll find a way through this. I promise.”
Another long pause and then, “Did anything else happen this time, anything you didn’t see in your vision?”
“It’s, ahh, a bit hard to explain. The moment the man turned toward me, it was like there was this force field, stopping me from interrupting what was about to happen. Once it lifted, Eve and the man responsible for her murder were both gone.”
“I see. Where are you now? How long until you’re home?”
“I’ll be home in a couple of hours. If you need me before then, call me, okay?”
They said their goodbyes, and Addison spent most of the drive home thinking about the man who’d killed Eve to find her. She wondered if he knew she possessed the book of enchantments. Whoever he was, he saw Addison as a threat. She assumed he was seeking her out to get her out of the way, knowing she had the power to stop him before he destroyed the world and everyone in it.
A few miles before home, Addison’s cell phone buzzed. It was Luke.
“I’m almost home,” Addison said. “Everything okay?”
No response.
“Luke, are you there? Did you hear me?”
“I, … yeah. It’s just … I’m standing in the kitchen, looking out the window. I could have sworn I just saw a, uhh … well, the biggest raven I’ve ever seen in my life.”