Chapter 47 #2
“You are here?” Silas asks, incredulously. “How?”
“Listen to me for fucking once, Nastronde.” Rohhit’s voice fades in and out. “Don’t give him anything.”
Silas steps forward. “We aren’t.”
“Fight him,” I begin to cry. “Don’t let him forward. Where is the stone in Eddris?”
“It’s…too much,” Rohhit groans, fighting against himself. “I’m not strong enough.”
Rohhit slumps forward, his hands pressing against his thighs as he grinds his teeth in pain.
“No,” I shout. “Keep trying.”
“I can’t,” Rohhit rasps. “The stone… it’s…”
Tears fall from my eyes, and Silas keeps a tight grip on me, worried I’ll rush toward Rohhit.
“Keep. Her. Safe.” Rohhit’s voice fades.
Fenmore.
“Tell her to…keep trying.” A tear flows down Rohhit’s cheek as he looks back at us. “Because I can’t.”
His tall frame shoots back up, his back arching in an unnatural angle. I scream, and step backward into Silas’s chest. A guttural sob leaves Rohhit’s mouth as he continues to fight against Carobon’s pull.
The breeze pauses, and Rohhit’s eyes shift back into something darker—something so sinister, I feel I’ll never experience happiness again.
“He’s gone,” Silas whispers.
A growing presence tingles my senses, but I remain facing forward, waiting for the Great Wiitch to make his move.
Carobon rolls his head around his shoulders. “I thought he might want to say hello.”
“I’m going to fucking kill you,” I seethe.
The Great Wiitch stares past us and claps his hands with delight. “I thought that might do the trick.”
My body tenses, and I feel a tremor move through Silas’s frame.
We slowly turn away and see Fenmore standing in the shadows of the warded house.
Her green eyes widen as she steps forward, noticing Rohhit for the first time.
She approaches like a ghost materializing around us, and my entire body feels like it’s vibrating with nerves.
Fen’s mouth slightly parts, and her whole body shakes with a painful urge compelling her to run toward him.
I glance back to Carobon, and for just a moment, I notice his eyes shift—as if seeing her for the first time stirs something within him—and his legs bend ever so slightly.
Rohhit.
Carobon quickly blinks away from her stare, forcing his gaze on us.
“Don’t fucking move, Fen,” Silas warns.
Her eyes fill with tears as she stares at Rohhit, unable to resist, even though Carobon is present at this moment.
“I… I…” she mumbles, not able to speak words.
“Fenmore,” Silas’s tone grows harsh.
“It’s you.” She blinks. “Rohhit.”
Carobon steps closer, brushing off his unease, extending his hand. “Do you think you can save him, Fenmore? Do you think you can pull him back from the depths of his own mind?”
She slowly nods and steps forward.
“Fenmore, fucking stop!” Silas shouts.
I rush to Fen and grab her hand. “That isn’t Rohhit. I know it’s hard, but you have to focus.”
“I can’t.”
“You can’t save him if you are dead,” I plead.
Carobon laughs. “Gods, always so dramatic. I don’t want to kill her. I just want to make sure that she can’t call to him any longer. Do you know how annoying it is to always have her voice traveling through my mind?”
Fenmore barely manages to blink, never taking her eyes off the man in front of her.
“He can hear me,” she whispers, her green eyes finally finding mine. “I think he’s been able to hear me this whole time.”
“Focus,” I whisper.
She swallows hard and looks back in his direction. I look into her eyes and can see the sorrow swimming in them.
“Rohhit.” Tears pool in her eyes. “Can you hear me?”
“Enough.” Carobon extends his hand once more. “Now come along, or they will die.”
She steps forward, as if the pull is too strong to ignore, and I tug her hand to stop.
“You will have to fucking kill me, then.” Silas’s shadows strike like black streaks of lightning.
I step further in front of Fen and grab an axe tightly in my hand. Silas holds his sword so tightly that I fear the jeweled hilt will snap in half.
“Just let me go,” Fen says. “I can help him.”
“No,” Silas shouts. “Stop this shit.”
“I need to help him,” she whispers, a weakness seeping into her words.
From the corner of my eye, I see Warrick emerge from the shadows, like a creature of the night.
His footsteps are soundless, and a rage sits behind his eyes that makes my skin crawl.
His large body stalks forward, completely concealed by the night that fades with every passing second. The others don’t see him.
I place my hand in my pocket and feel the pulse of the power leaking from the stone I possess. I exhale sharply, and expose the power into the open air, pointing it at Carobon.
“I’ll give you this,” I say, stepping away from Fenmore. “The real one.”
The Great Wiitch pulls his gaze to me and tilts his head with feline grace—a smile buds on his lips, and my chest heaves.
Carobon angles his head. “Nolan possesses a fake?”
“Yes,” I say, with a nod. “It was a duplicate.”
Carobon studies me.
“This is the real Stone of Andorwood.” I push my hand forward, bringing it into line with Silas. “I know you are after all of them. Take this one and leave.”
“You clever little bitch. No wonder you and Kalix work together so harmoniously.” He huffs a wicked laugh. “You are just as cunning as she is.”
“Shut your fucking mouth,” Silas fumes, pointing his sword forward.
“Take it,” I shout.
“Tempting,” Carobon says.
I step closer, uncaring of the short distance between us. “Please.”
Carobon nods, and I throw the stone at him, harder than necessary.
He catches it with ease and studies the jewel sitting heavy in his hand. I know he can feel the pulses of power coming from it, just as I can. He smiles and wraps his large hand around the stone, the dark green beauty disappearing once more.
“Thank you.” Carobon steps backwards.
Carobon shifts, vanishing from in front of me and Silas, and shock rattles me to my soul. We both swirl around to watch his body of light materialize behind Fenmore. His arms wrap around her body, and she screams, the sound reverberating into my mind.
Silas sprints toward his sister in a desperate attempt to stop him from disappearing with her.
Carobon’s face twists with delight, and Fenmore continues to scream and kick against his grip. I lunge forward without swinging my axe, fearing that one wrong move, and I could hit Fen.
“See you all very soon,” Carobon smiles.
Fenmore lifts her foot, slamming it down atop his. Carobon groans, and she spins, driving her knee into his groin. Carobon grinds his teeth and hisses from the pain, dropping the Andorwood stone onto the earth. He quickly wraps his hands around her throat, spinning her to face us once more.
“Stop,” the Great Wiitch screams.
Silas’s footsteps thunder, and the rage I’ve been seeing swarms around him like a hurricane of darkness—a storm of complete death.
He tenses his jaw, and even though I was closer to Fen, he’s nearing her before I can.
Carobon stays focused on us, and that’s when I see a figure I forgot about emerge from the darkness.
Warrick sprints toward the Great Wiitch like a streak of lightning.
A blinding glow surrounds him, and he grips a crossbow in his hands, ready to aim as soon as a spot opens.
I watch in complete shock as Warrick lifts the bow, aiming for Carobon’s body, and fires the arrow dripping in poison.
The sharp point swirls through the air, and I watch Carobon’s face change from triumph to confusion, watching our gazes look past him.
As quickly as the arrow leaves the bow, it finds its mark, lower than anticipated, but lodges directly into Carobon’s leg.
An inhuman scream leaves the Great Wiitch’s mouth, and his arms loosen around Fen, giving her a split second to race forward, colliding with Silas in his arms. Silas immediately shifts them backward, further away from the chaos breaking out.
I continue to sprint forward with the spot now open to swipe my axe across the Great Wiitch’s throat.
Rage fills me more profoundly than the surrounding sea, and my lungs burn, but I don’t let it stop me.
Carobon slowly turns to Warrick, pulling out the arrow wedged into his leg.
A thick, black blood trickles slowly down his thigh, and he wipes it with his finger, licking it slowly.
He snaps the arrow in two, tossing it to the ground, as if the wound is a mere scratch.
I slam my feet across the grass faster, gaining speed and closing the distance.
Carobon waves his hand in my direction, and I fly backward, landing on the hard ground. My lungs gasp for air as I work to refill them from the blow.
“You made a mistake, Lumor Wielder.” Carobon glares at Warrick. “Let this be a reminder that you do not attempt to harm your Great Wiitch.”
Warrick doesn’t stop.
“It doesn’t end well.” Carobon lifts his hand into the night air, and glances at Fenmore. “This will teach her a lesson as well.”
The air around us thickens, and Warrick freezes, time seeming to stand still, while his expression changes into something that will remain in my memories for a lifetime.
It changes not to fear or pain, but to a profound regret—a deep regret of what could have been.
His gaze slowly moves to Fenmore, and even in the darkness surrounding us, his dark eyes shine into hers.
Warrick lowers the bow, dropping it to the ground with a thud, and his shoulders relax as Carobon uses his powers to restrain us all from moving toward him.
He doesn’t run; he doesn’t attempt to flee. Instead, he uses this time to stare right into Fen’s bright green eyes. He studies Fenmore’s beautiful face—every freckle and perfect imperfections.
“Fenmore,” Warrick whispers. “You are so beautiful.”
“Warrick?” she pleads. “Move.”
He tries to take a step forward, but his face contorts into pain as the power stops him from even blinking.
“Don’t look, Fen,” Warrick whispers, and his lip trembles. “Take your eyes off me.”
She batters against Silas’s hold, cutting her eyes to her brother. A tear rolls down Silas’s cheek, and horror floods Fenmore’s expression.
Warrick fights against the pain now coursing through his body. “Please don’t let her watch this, Silas.”
He stands tall and unafraid, looking only at her, like she is the one thing that matters to him in this miserable world.
“What? Run, Warrick, please. Shift right now,” Fenmore shouts.
“I can’t.” Warrick smiles, sadly. “I’m sorry.”
“Please,” Fen weeps, thrashing against her brother’s hold. “Move!”
“I’m so sorry,” he whispers.
“Don’t say that,” she begs. “Don’t act like this.”
“I love you, Fenmore. I always have, and I would have forever.”
Barely a whisper leaves her lips, “Warrick.”
Carobon snaps his fingers, similarly to what Nolan did on the ship, and I yell, knowing what’s coming next. Silas watches in horror, all of us frozen in time, and even the breeze pauses around us.
“No, oh Gods, don’t,” I scream, getting to my feet.
The sound of Carobon’s fingers fills the air, echoing into our minds.
“Don’t fucking do this,” I beg.
A loud crack fills the night air, followed by a scream from Fenmore that could awaken the dead from the darkest realms. Silas holds Fen back, pulling her face into his chest as she pushes against his grip with everything she has left in her crumbling body.
“Let me go,” she pleads. “Let me go to him.”
“Fen, stop,” Silas begs, a sob breaking from his lips. “Please.”
Warrick’s strong legs buckle under his weight.
Time moves in slow motion as he falls into the ground, so hard the earth dents around him. A sob fills the air that makes my blood run ice cold.
“Warrick,” Fenmore weeps. “Oh, Gods. NO!”
I gaze in horror at Warrick’s motionless body, his closed eyes no longer reflecting Fen’s terrified gaze—his strong body crumbled to the ground, and a horrifying, unnaturally twisted neck.