Addison awoke the next morning a few hours before sunrise. She planted a kiss on Luke’s cheek, another on Amara Jane’s, and then wrapped a robe around her waist. On her way down the hall, she stopped at Lia’s room. As Lia slept, Addison placed her hands on her head and whispered an enchantment spell, one that would offer her an extra layer of protection for the day that was to come.
She strolled around the sprawling grounds, inhaling the fresh, crisp air before making her way to the meditation room, the inner sanctum of Gaia. She sat atop one of the mats and said, “Show me Crawley Manor.”
The manor appeared in front of her like a 3D movie. Demons prowled the manor grounds, standing guard at its edges, watching … waiting. Inside the manor, Aamon flipped through the pages of the book of black arts, chanting to himself as he paced the room. In an abrupt shift, he slammed the book closed, bent his head back, and cackled. “I feel you, Addison. Are you enjoying this little spy session? Learn anything useful?”
Addison stood, leaning over the manor as she bellowed, “Today I come for you. Today we end this.”
“There is no we. There’s only me, my plans for the future. Today you cease to exist. Don’t be long … I'm waiting.”
Addison swished a hand through the three-dimensional vision, and it dispersed, becoming tiny particles of air. She rubbed the stone on her ring and chanted:
Ancient mothers hear my call
Answer now come one come all
I call on you to join me now
To heal the world and thus allow
Mankind to survive and continue
As sorcerers and necromancers begin anew
Bind us once again together
For united as one makes us better
Today we shake Aamon to his core
Taking his life, let him be no more
Orbs of light danced around the room. From within them, Addison heard voices, chanting:
We stand with you this day, Addison
For all that has yet to come
We hear your call
Thy will shall be done