Chapter 19
Sorcia stood in the center of the meeting room, her entire body nearly trembling with fury.
Her fists clenched at her sides, her nails digging into her palms hard enough to leave marks.
A demon had kidnapped her friend—a member of her coven.
It wasn’t just an attack on her; it was a violation of everything she held sacred.
It felt as if someone had torn off a piece of her soul.
“I know,” Marcus said softly, stepping closer. He didn’t reach out to touch her, though every fiber of his being wanted to. Instead, he positioned himself directly in front of her, his presence a steadying force. He waited, his sharp blue eyes focused entirely on her, ready to follow her lead.
Sorcia’s chest rose and fell as she struggled to rein in the tidal wave of emotions crashing over her.
Anger burned white-hot inside her, but she needed it.
Her rage fueled her determination, her need to act.
There was no time for tears, no time to curse the fates that had allowed this to happen. There was only action.
“Marcus,” she said sharply, meeting his gaze. “Don’t give me sympathy. Not right now. I need to be strong, so… don’t be nice!”
His lips twitched into a faint, humorless smile, but in the next moment, his expression hardened. “No niceness,” he promised, his voice steely. “Not until you say the word.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, but he heard her. She looked away from him as Zelda and Jane burst through their respective doors, their faces taut with worry.
“What happened?” Zelda demanded, her copper curls bouncing as she rushed forward. “We felt something and—”
Jane, her eyes blazing, cut in, “What’s going on? Is it—?”
Sorcia lifted her hand, silencing them both.
“Here’s what happened,” she began, planting her fists on the polished table.
Her gaze flicked briefly to the crystal ball in the center of the table, now spinning in angry circles.
Its matte black surface absorbed the light instead of reflecting it, radiating an ominous energy.
Even the twinkling lights that usually hovered overhead had dimmed, as if the room itself was mourning or steeling itself for battle.
“The demon, Hazelton Birchsmire, has captured Bethany,” Sorcia explained, her voice hard and unwavering.
“He and an elf used the trees to trap Althea, preventing her from helping. Birchsmire has been orchestrating this from the start. Jace’s pack and Viktor’s clan are already searching for her. They’re mobilizing as we speak.”
She paused, her hands gripping the table tighter as she drew in a deep breath.
When she continued, her tone was sharp, each word cutting through the tense silence.
“I don’t know Birchsmire’s exact plan yet.
Maybe he just wants to use Bethany’s powers to torment humans and other creatures.
But I fear there’s something far worse at play. ”
Jane stepped forward, her jaw tight, her hands fisting at her sides as her rage simmered just below the surface. “The imprisoned demons,” she spat, her voice a venomous whisper.
Zelda’s brow furrowed as she glanced between Sorcia and Jane, confusion and unease clouding her expression. “What imprisoned demons?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid of the answer.
Sorcia straightened, her green eyes gleaming with determination.
“The demons we locked away centuries ago. The ones who were banished to a prison realm by our ancestors to stop them from wreaking havoc. Birchsmire wasn’t caught in those sweeps.
He’s been free this whole time, and now he might be looking to free the others or… do something else.”
A heavy tension settled over the room, broken only by the faint hum of the crystal ball as it spun faster, the black surface pulsing like a living, breathing thing. The tension was palpable, thick enough to choke on, as the implications of Sorcia’s words sank in.
“Bethany’s just the beginning,” Sorcia said finally, her voice low but laced with iron. “We have to stop him before it’s too late.”
Sorcia straightened up, crossing her arms over her chest. “Hundreds of years ago, the demons walked the Earth freely. For a long time, they didn’t bother anyone.
They just walked around being miserable, and were basically considered fairly benign.
But eventually, they grew impatient with the status quo and started to experiment.
The demons slowly learned how to steal and harness our powers.
Fairies weren’t affected in any way, which is odd since fairies have similar powers to witches. ”
The room fell into a tense silence, the only sound the faint hum of the crystal orb as it spun slowly in the center of the table. Its soft glow pulsated with energy, casting flickering shadows that danced across the walls like restless spirits.
“How did they figure this out?” Zelda demanded, her copper curls seeming to bristle with her fury. “Demons are stupid, brutish creatures. They shouldn’t be able to pull this off!”
Sorcia sighed, shaking her head as she traced a finger absently along the edge of the polished table. “We don’t know exactly how they learned to transfer power, but over the centuries, they perfected the skill. That’s what made them so dangerous to us.”
“Ridiculous,” Zelda spat, her freckled face flushed with frustration. “It’s infuriating!”
“We agree,” Marcus said, his voice calm but edged with steel. His steady presence was both grounding and slightly unnerving.
“You’re right, Zelda,” Sorcia added, her tone quiet but firm. She glanced at the crystal orb, its glow intensifying as though in response to the discussion.
Jane leaned forward, her caramel-colored eyes wide with alarm. “And now you think this Birchsmire demon is going to ransom Bethany to get to you?”
“Exactly,” Sorcia admitted grimly. Her voice softened, but her resolve remained unshaken. “Bethany would rather die than let herself be used like that, but I refuse to let it come to that. We’ll find her.”
The crystal orb vibrated suddenly, sending out a series of erratic pulses like a heart beating too fast. Everyone turned toward it as it emitted a faint chiming sound, startling them. Sorcia reached out to steady it, her fingers brushing the surface, and the vibrations subsided.
“Even the crystal is furious,” Zelda muttered under her breath, her own anger simmering just below the surface.
“That’s not all,” Sorcia continued, her voice hardening. “An elf is involved.”
“Elves?” Jane and Zelda exclaimed in unison, their shock palpable.
Jane shook her head, incredulous. “But elves are peaceful! Why would one align with a demon? And in the city, no less! They draw their power from the forest.”
Sorcia pressed her fingertips to her temples, fighting the wave of frustration threatening to overwhelm her. “I don’t know why yet, but we’ll find out. Jace and his pack are already tracking the elf. Once they have a lead, we’ll question it.”
“What do you need us to do?” Jane asked, her voice steady but tinged with a quiet fury.
“Maintain the grid search,” Sorcia instructed. “Keep monitoring the tremors in the sphaera. If Birchsmire and Bethany are still in the city, we’ll find them.”
Marcus stepped forward then, his arms uncrossed, his movements deliberate. “Not necessarily,” he said, his voice heavy with thought. He locked eyes with Sorcia, his expression unreadable but intense.
“What are you thinking?” Sorcia asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
He hesitated for a fraction of a second, then braced his hands on the back of a chair. “I don’t think Birchsmire is targeting Bethany just for her power. I think she’s bait.”
The crystal orb vibrated again, this time sending out sharp sparks that fizzled in the air. Sorcia pressed her hand against it, trying to calm its agitation.
Marcus’s voice lowered, almost to a growl. “He’s after you, Sorcia.”
The room seemed to freeze. Zelda and Jane exchanged a horrified glance.
“For what purpose?” Sorcia asked, her voice icy but controlled. “Bethany is a powerful witch. He can do plenty of damage with her.”
“But with you,” Marcus said, his tone heavy, “he could do a hell of a lot more. If he controls your power, he could break the seals on the demon prison.”
The orb erupted into a sudden flash of white-hot light before settling into a steady, furious glow. It chimed again, the sound sharp and accusatory, as though it was scolding them all for letting things get this far.
Zelda’s freckles seemed to darken as she scowled. “Then you’re not leaving this room,” she declared.
“That’s not an option,” Sorcia shot back. “If I stay hidden, Bethany suffers. I won’t let that happen.”
The orb let out an exasperated hum, almost as if it were sighing, and then began to spin rapidly, flickering between shades of angry red and fiery gold. Marcus smirked faintly at its antics but quickly sobered.
“You’re not doing this alone,” he said firmly, his tone brooking no argument. “Not now, not ever.”
“We’re going to demolish that idiot demon!” Jane snarled, her hands fisting at her sides.
Sorcia offered a small, reassuring smile to her friends.
“I appreciate your anger, truly. But I have a plan.” She leaned forward again, her fingers steadying the crystal orb as it shivered faintly beneath her touch.
The swirling colors inside shifted to a muted silver, reflecting her calm determination.
“I’m going to work with Jace to find the elf.
I have a strong feeling that the elf helping Birchsmire is the key to all of this.
Once we know why they aligned with the demon, we’ll have a better understanding of his plans. ”
Jane and Zelda exchanged a glance, one so meaningful that Sorcia wondered, not for the first time, if the two could communicate telepathically.
Zelda was the first to speak, her voice firm as her copper curls seemed to vibrate with energy.
She turned her sharp gaze to Marcus. “The only way we’re going to agree to this plan is if you promise not to let Sorcia out of your sight.
” She leaned forward, her freckles standing out against her flushed skin. “Not for a single moment.”