Chapter 23 - Brad
Even though I desperately want to follow the trail straight out into the woods, there is too much going on for me to do something so selfish.
I know that even Alisha wouldn’t want me to put anyone else in danger to save her, so I run back through the house and get in the truck, heading for the center of town.
Since it was my job to call everyone together, I expect I’ll have some work to do before I can go after Alisha. But to my shock, the elders are already gathered. Scarlett and Grace are there, too.
“What are you all doing here?” I ask as I jump out of the truck.
“We were on our way down to the lower quarter when Grace started getting the feeling that magic was moving nearby,” Scarlett says. “Rex called me and told me about what was going on, so I called Gen and got everyone to the town square.”
“I called the elders,” Gen says. “And we set up some emergency shelters. Apparently, the movement of the spirit is powerful enough that a lot of people are feeling it.”
“Has it moved?” I ask, and the others shake their heads.
“We don’t know,” Scarlett says. “Wolf’s Shadow are supposed to check in—”
“And we’re here,” Luke says, entering the square on the opposite side. “Sloan has had trouble finding enough men to deploy. The ones sent west are headed back this way, the squad in the mountains has no news, the heat signature has died, and we can’t get an answer out of the rock troop.”
“I can answer that,” I say.
“Wait!” Grace yells. “Where’s Alisha?”
“I can answer all of those questions,” I say grimly. “Alisha’s gone—she’s been kidnapped. Our place is smashed up, and there’s a blood trail.”
“No!” Grace cries, covering her mouth. “Is it her ex?”
“I think so,” I answer. “I think it’s all her ex. The dead soldier, the silence at the rock—he’s got to be involved.”
“What the hell is he hoping to do?” Scarlett asks. “It has to be an alpha and a magic worker to conduct the ritual—and it has never worked, anyway!”
“Alisha has magic,” I say. “Powerful magic. Isn’t that right, Grace?”
Grace nods, tears in her eyes.
“More powerful than Vanessa?” Scarlett cries. “More powerful than Azarian? They planned for years, and he still failed. How can this guy possibly think he’s going to succeed?”
“Alisha is extremely powerful,” Grace says. “Stronger than she knows. With that kind of raw talent and very little training, unexpected things could happen. She won’t be restrained by any thoughts of what she can or can’t do. She could easily reach beyond her limits and unlock the great magic.”
“And what about Paul?” I ask. “I don’t think he’s an alpha, and he’s out of his fucking mind.”
“That can only help the situation,” Grace says regretfully. “Alpha might simply translate to a sense of purpose and superiority, not necessarily royal blood. And the insane…well, they break the bonds between this world and the next with their mental state. Unfortunately, it could work.”
“Fuck!” I almost scream. “We have to get out to the rock. How long have the guys been out of contact?”
“About twenty minutes,” Luke says. “And we’ve got no movement on sat.”
“Let’s go,” I say, gesturing to my truck. “We gotta move, now!”
When I turn to run towards the truck, I feel like I’m underwater. Everything around me seems stuck, and I’m moving too slowly.
I can’t lose her…I can’t!
Losing her once, even to my own stupidity, was too much to bear. Losing her twice—and for good, this time—is a nightmarish hell I’d never wake from.
I left her alone. Oh, God, I left her alone and unprotected. I’m so sorry, babe. I should never have let this happen!
Luke’s hand comes down on my shoulder, and the shock that flashes through me makes me jump right out of my bones.
“You okay, buddy?” he asks.
“Nope,” I say. “Not by a long shot.”
“Then let’s go get your girl, and the son of a bitch that took her!”
“Right!” I answer, jumping into the truck. A few of my WS boys follow suit, and before I can stop her, so does Grace.
“Grace!” I snap. “You’re not coming.”
“The hell I’m not!” she yells. “You don’t know what you’re getting into! There’s going to be all sorts of magic going on out there, and trust me, you aren’t prepared for it!”
“She’s right, boss,” Luke says. “As much as I hate to say it. We haven’t had an answer from our sorcerers, science guys, or soldiers. They might all be wasted.”
“Fuck,” I mutter, glaring at Grace.
She glares right back at me and clicks her seatbelt on.
“Fine,” I sigh, getting into the truck. I speed off down Main Street, noticing small groups of people heading towards meeting points.
Not going to do a damn bit of good if we can’t stop the snake, but at least they’ll be together.
Even though I keep my foot to the floor, I feel like we aren’t covering enough ground. Thoughts about what Paul might be doing to Alisha taunt me, filling me with an unbelievable rage.
I’ll tear him to shreds, even if that snake is right up his ass, making his eyeballs glow, I don’t care. I’ll rip his fucking head off!
“Boss,” Luke says. “Are you going to ram the rock with the truck or what?”
It takes a moment for his words to sink in, and I realize we should take a careful approach. I pull over to let the WS guys out, and they shift, racing into the woods in opposite directions to flank the stone.
“We’ll go right in,” I say to Grace. “And get him focused on us. That way, my boys can move in, and if we keep his attention, they can get him from behind.”
“Okay,” she replies, looking scared but determined. I turn back around and rev up the truck just to calm my nerves, then continue up the track towards the stone.
As the trees thin out, I start to feel a faint tendril of nerves deep inside me. The last incursion was no picnic. In fact, it was one of the most painful experiences of my life.
I’d never been as powerless as I was then. Rex was in the center, and I couldn’t help him—there was nothing any of us could do. We were just fucked.
And the thing…that snake. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
The memory of its liquid gold gaze sickens me as the images of men melting flash through my brain. All I do is press my foot harder on the accelerator, thinking only of Alisha.
I will not let you die. I won’t lose you again!
I see it all laid out behind me. My past, where I was a coward, and I ran from love and called it duty.
Before me, a future rolls out, one full of honor and faith, but I have to claim it.
I have to step up and put Alisha’s needs before mine.
And be prepared to do it, every single day for the rest of my life.
The trees peel back, and I see the rock ahead. Pulling the truck to a hard stop, I leap out and run towards the stone, seeing carnage all around me.
“How did one man do this?” I ask, talking to myself.
“Insanity,” Grace answers, keeping pace with me on my other side. “He’s so unhinged, he acts completely without attachment. It always takes sane people by surprise that the nutcase always gets the upper hand.”
Grace seems to have a story to tell on that topic, but I have no time to hear it. We come up to the rock, and I stop suddenly, careful not to touch it in case I get melted.
When I look up, the sight shocks me so much, I stumble backwards and fall straight on my ass.
Alisha is standing in the center of the circle. A fierce wind whips about her, tangling her hair around her face. She has her hands up, and all around her, thick vines are twisting through the air, almost like a living tornado.
Caught in the strands of vegetation, Paul—I assume it must be Paul—is screaming as the plants twist around his arms and legs. He howls, fighting, but the plants are too strong, and they keep twisting tighter around his limbs, pulling him in separate directions.
“Alisha!” I yell, but she doesn’t hear or see me. Her eyes are focused on Paul.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Grace murmurs. “Her power is incredible!”
I’m so focused on Alisha that I almost don’t notice the glimmer of gold that catches at the edge of my eye. My heart beats so hard, I can feel it in my temples as I realize the snake is here, just outside the circle, watching with its gold eyes.
I look between Alisha and the snake for one second before I get up and run towards Alisha.
I don’t give a fuck if I get melted—he’s going to attack, and I won’t let him get her!
What I’ll do against an ancient, massive snake made of fire, I haven’t figured out yet, but putting myself between them seems like a great start.
I hear Grace scream behind me, and I don’t have time to look back, but it sounds like she’s following me. I keep my head down and keep running, my eyes fixed on Alisha in the center of a storm of green.
As I get closer, I realize that the plants have wound so tightly around Paul, they are slowly crushing him. His body is being bent and pulled as the plants curl along his limbs, a faint tearing and crackling sound ringing through the air as his bones break and flesh tears.
He must have died a few minutes ago! So why—
When I get closer, I see Alisha is in a trance, her eyes glowing milky white. I run to her, holding her against my chest and shaking her, begging her to snap out of it.
The heat of the snake rises behind me, and I know that the bastard is breathing right down my neck. The thing could incinerate me any time it wants, and I shake Alisha roughly, ready to run with her in my arms if it comes to that.
“Brad?” she whispers, and she blinks several times, the beautiful violet light returning to her eyes as she looks up at me.
“Yeah,” I answer, my voice thick with emotion. “It’s me. I’m here.”
“Paul was here,” she mutters. “I think he’s gone now.”
“Yeah, he is,” I reply. “But we have bigger problems now.”
Slowly, I turn around with Alisha in my arms. The plants have all curled away, whipping back towards the forest, and Paul’s body is a crumpled heap on the ground. The snake is coiled before me like a cobra, the main length of its body behind it as it rears its head above us.
It’s the same size as the stone…it could coil itself round and round and cover the rock exactly, down to the last scale. Is that how it was trapped?
The snake tilts its head, a long, forked tongue of pure silver flicking out of its mouth. Grace comes up beside me, and my Shadows gather behind us.
Well, at least we won’t go down without a fight!
High above us, the ancient spirit weaves back and forth, then dips down and makes a low hissing sound, almost like laughter.
“You’re getting closer,” it whispers. “I’m having so much fun watching the pieces fall into place…”
The words shock me. Not just that it can talk, but it seems intelligent. It looks down at Alisha in my arms, and she clings to me, looking up at the snake in terror.
To my surprise, it turns away to look at Grace. The huge head bobs slightly, as if appraising her.
“You should be ready, witch,” it says.
Before any of us can react, it turns upon itself, slithering into the trees.
It seems to hover above the ground, moving through the air instead of on the earth, and when it wants to move with stealth, it disturbs nothing, even though I know from our observations that it can melt sand into molten glass.
As the snake disappears, the air shimmers, and the rock feels cold against my feet. I stumble forward, holding Alisha tightly against my chest.
“Brad,” she whispers. “Take me home.”
“Yes, baby,” I answer, kissing her forehead gently. “We’re both going home.”