“We made it!” Levi said as they walked up the front sidewalk toward Anna and William’s house. He gently set Tommy down on the ground.
“Huh? What’s going on?” he murmured.
“Shh,” Levi soothed, crouching beside his friend. “Just lay back and try not to pay attention to anything that’s happening. We’ll keep you safe.” He stood again and stepped toward Frankie, who was making sure Evelyn was steady on her feet. “Please help me keep my promise to him.”
Frankie took a deep breath. “I’m going to try to keep us all safe.”
“How much time do we have?” Evelyn asked.
With the light on the front porch of the house, Frankie could see his watch. “Only a couple more minutes.”
“What’s the plan?” Levi asked. “Do you have a spell? What if Zanabar comes before it’s time?”
Frankie looked up and saw the figure standing at the end of the sidewalk.
Time was up.
Instinctively, Frankie stretched out his hands to protect his friends and took a small step forward.
“You decided to lure me back to your home?” Zanabar asked. “Or, should I say, former home?”
“This place is surrounded by protection charms,” Frankie warned. “You can’t come any closer.”
Zanabar smiled and shot a bolt of lightning in their direction. It collided with an invisible forcefield that sent shockwaves up and around the house, like a bubble.
“See?” Levi taunted. “You can’t come any closer!”
Zanabar fired another lighting bolt with similar results. Then another. And another. “I broke through Hecate’s barrier. I can certainly break through yours.”
With each passing blow, the protection charms seemed to be weakening until one final lightning bolt broke through the protection and right toward the group. Frankie raised his hand in time to use his power to deflect the attack.
Again, the sorcerer smiled. He sauntered toward them. “Any other magic you want to try against me?”
Frankie eyed him, anticipating any move the sorcerer might make. “Levi, tell me when it’s time.”
“You still have another minute,” he said. “Just cast the spell now!”
“Not until it’s time,” Frankie said.
Zanabar raised his hand and fired a lightning bolt in their direction. Again, Frankie deflected it. Then another was fired, and another. With each new attack, Frankie managed to keep it from striking anyone.
Barely.
Each use of his power became harder, more of a struggle. If he didn’t reserve his power, he’d have nothing left to cast the spell.
“You can’t keep this up for much longer,” Zanabar sneered.
Frankie gritted his teeth. He had a point.
Sucking in a deep breath, Frankie summoned his energy and used both hands to focus his power on Zanabar. But just before he was about to release, there were suddenly three Zanabars standing in front of him. Then three more. And then more.
Soon, it was impossible to tell which was the original and which were the illusions.
Frankie’s eyes flickered as he studied them each, then finally pinpointed one and focused his power on that Zanabar.
He was wrong.
His power did nothing. Just as quickly as the duplicates had appeared, they were suddenly all gone.
“Where’d he go?” Frankie asked.
“I don’t know,” Levi breathed.
“Ahh!” Tommy’s screams from behind them drew everyone’s attention.
Zanabar stood behind Tommy with his fist driven through Tommy’s back and into his chest. With a swift motion, the sorcerer ripped Tommy’s heart right out of him, leaving him to crumple to the ground.
Evelyn let out a yelp and covered her mouth to stifle it.
With a blood-soaked fist, Zanabar tossed Tommy’s heart aside and leaned in close to Frankie.
As the witch eyed the sorcerer, he wondered if he was about to suffer the same fate as Tommy.