42. Evelyn
42
Evelyn
W e had been walking for a few minutes when I noticed that we had some people trailing us.
Nudging Chad, I whispered, “Hey, I think we’ve been spotted.”
Alister halted and turned around. “I had sensed them, too. Maybe not everybody here is under the spell.”
“Their eyes look vacant,” Lucien declared. “Let’s turn on this street and see what they do.”
We followed Lucien’s suggestion. After a few more minutes, it was clear they were following us. Shopkeepers, kids, and people emerged from stores and joined the procession.
“This is freaking me out,” I muttered as I took in their blank faces and robotic walk.
“Everybody, stay close,” Lucien instructed.
“Should I tap into my affinity and unspell them?” I asked. “Do you think it would work?”
“Not yet,” Lucien replied, his voice tense. “It might alert whoever’s manipulating them.”
As we approached the old factory, the hulking relic loomed at us. Its weathered brick walls and rusted metal fixtures gave it an ominous air. We halted and looked around.
“What now?” Chad asked in a whisper as he leaned forward to the rest of the group.
I glanced back, noticing that the zombie-like townspeople stopped, standing motionless in the field.
“Should we just take off and run?” I asked. “We have enough wings here to grab the wingless ones and get the hell out of here.”
Lucien turned around and shook his head. “They aren’t doing anything. We can’t lose this opportunity to explore and stop whoever is poisoning the water reserves.”
“Let’s investigate the warehouse first, then move on to the water facility,” Rafe proposed.
“We haven’t had much luck with warehouses,” I reminded them.
“I can grab Lucien and run if things get dangerous,” Alister suggested.
Lucien raised an eyebrow, his expression a mix of resignation and sarcasm. “I guess I’ll just have to work on not being a liability, then.”
Alister smirked. “You do that.”
“Let’s investigate. Chad, you go first,” Rafe said.
Chad transformed into his massive hellhound form, his red eyes glowing in the daylight, and with a soft growl, he loped off to circle the perimeter. The rest of us spread out, staying low and keeping to the shadows.
Moments that felt like an eternity later, Chad returned and then shifted back.
“Everything seems clear,” he reported.
“Let’s split into pairs. Non-wing people with wing-people,” Alister suggested. “Which means I go with Evelyn.”
“I’m with Rafe,” Lucien said.
“Guess I’m stuck with you,” Chad mumbled as he looked at his brother.
Ryker grunted as he grabbed Chad’s arm, after he had pulled on a pair of joggers, and they left.
We took different directions, and I found myself creeping along the eastern wall with Alister, my eyes scanning for any sign of an entrance. The windows were boarded up, and the few doors we found were chained shut.
“There,” Alister whispered, pointing to a small access hatch near ground level. “It looks like it leads to some kind of basement or sublevel.”
I nodded, reaching for the rusted handle. It didn’t budge.
“Locked,” I muttered. “I need your muscles, vampire.”
Alister’s lips quirked into a small smile. “My pleasure, wife”
With minimal effort, he forcefully opened the hatch, causing the metal to screech in protest. Getting inside, we found ourselves in a dimly lit corridor. The air was thick with the acrid smell of something… dark. Something that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
“Do you feel that?” I whispered to Alister.
He nodded grimly. “I think this might be where they are making the elixir and then dumping it into the water supply.”
We made our way cautiously down the corridor, pausing at each intersection to listen for any sign of activity. The place seemed deserted, but that only made me more uneasy.
Where were the guards? The workers?
A muffled thud from up ahead made us freeze.
I held my breath, straining to hear.
There it was again—definitely the sound of movement.
Alister and I exchanged a look.
“I can hear heartbeats,” he murmured to me. “Lots of them.”
Without a word, we crept forward, every sense on high alert. The corridor opened into a large room filled with massive tubs and intricate piping systems. And there, in the center of it all, stood a familiar figure.
“Well, well,” drawled a silky voice. “Look who’s come to crash our little party.”
My blood ran cold as Miss Clarissa stepped into view, a cruel smile on her lips. Behind her, I could see about a dozen guards.
“Did you enjoy your visit to the quaint little town I mentioned on my date with Lucien? I must say, my little trap worked perfectly,” Miss Clarissa continued, her eyes gleaming with malice. “But I’m afraid your little adventure ends here.”
I clenched my fists, feeling the magic surge within me. “What have you done to the townspeople?” I demanded.
Miss Clarissa laughed, the sound echoing off the metal tanks. “Oh, darling. We’ve given them a gift. Freedom from worry, from pain. From free will.” She gestured grandly. “And soon, all who do not comply will share in this blissful state.”
“You’re insane,” Alister growled, his features twisted in disgust as his monster surfaced.
I could feel her trying to get through my barrier. Alister stiffened beside me. Most likely she was trying to get past his as well.
“Perhaps.” Miss Clarissa shrugged. “But with all this magic at our disposal, we’re also unstoppable. The process has already begun, and there’s nothing you can do to—”
Chad’s hellhound form burst through a wall, interrupting her words with a deafening roar, snarling and with blazing eyes. In the chaos that followed, I caught glimpses of the others joining the fray—Lucien hurling potions with deadly accuracy at the guards, Rafe’s wings unfurling as he took to the air, and Ryker positioning himself close to me.
I evaded a spell that was thrown at me, and then I counterattacked by unleashing a fiery burst, causing Miss Clarissa to quickly seek shelter.
“She’s trying to get through my barrier,” Rafe warned.
“Mine, too,” Ryker said.
I smiled.
Now that the guys had learned to block her out, the witch bitch had just lost her advantage.
She was going down.
The room quickly devolved into an all-out brawl, magic and fangs and claws flying in every direction.
“Come with me,” Lucien shouted over to me.
We made our way to the tanks, leaving the others to fight the battle, which they seemed to be winning easily.
The tanks were huge.
“We need to destroy them! Applying heat should deactivate its effect.”
I nodded, focusing my energy on the nearest one. The metal groaned and warped under the intensity of my flames.
The metal, which had been weakened, gave out with a loud screech, and a noxious liquid poured out onto the floor.
I focused my powers as I took out the rest.
The air grew thick with steam and the stench of dark magic, making it hard to see or breathe.
A scream of rage cut through the chaos as Miss Clarissa reappeared.
“You fools!” she shrieked. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? She’s going to destroy you.”
“I’m not afraid of Morgana!” I yelled back.
Miss Clarissa smiled. “You poor idiot. I’m not talking about Morgana.” She laughed, her hair wild and eyes blazing with fury.
Raising her hands, dark energy crackled between her fingers.
“Time to say goodbye,” she snarled.
Time seemed to slow as she unleashed a massive surge of power. I didn’t have time to react and summon a shield of fire, but Rafe landed in front of us, his wings spread wide. The blast of dark magic collided with his celestial barrier and dissipated, leaving only a faint shimmer in the air.
Miss Clarissa’s face contorted in disbelief. “How—”
She never finished the question. In a blur of movement, Alister was behind her. His hand closed around her throat, lifting her off her feet.
“Enough,” he said, his voice cold and final.
With a sickening crack, Miss Clarissa went limp in his grasp. Alister let her body fall, turning to survey the destruction around us.
“Is everyone alright?” he asked, his composure firmly back in place.
I did a quick headcount, relief washing over me as I saw we were still standing.
Battered and bruised, but alive.
“I don’t think you’ll need to worry about another date,” Chad said to Lucien with a smirk.
“We need to get out of here,” Lucien urged. “I doubt breathing the elixir that was in those tanks is doing us any favors.”
We stumbled out of the factory, gulping in the fresh air, but the sight before us left me breathless.
My wings popped out.
We were surrounded.
I stood frozen, my heart pounding as I took in the scene before us. Thousands of blank-faced people stared at us with empty eyes, children eerily positioned at the front like some twisted shield. Behind them, I could make out Morgana, Lia, and a group of Elders. A large, imposing man I didn’t recognize loomed beside them.
“Well, shit,” Chad muttered, shifting nervously beside me. “Anyone got a plan?”
Lucien’s hand was already reaching for his potions. “Don’t die,” he grumbled. “That’s the plan.”
“Solid strategy,” I quipped, trying to mask the fear that threatened to choke me. “I vote we stick with that one.”
Rafe’s eyes darted around, assessing the situation. His features were set in a grim mask. “We’re outnumbered,” he pointed out the obvious. “But not outmatched. Remember your training.”
Ryker grunted in agreement, his massive form tensed and ready for action.
“Can you guys cover for me? I’m going to try to unspell the zombies, especially the kids. Once I do that, can someone get them out of here?” I requested, focusing on my breathing and centering myself.
The familiar warmth of my magic surged through me, responding to my call.
At first, nothing happened. The crowd stood motionless, their eyes vacant. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I poured more of myself into the effort. Then, one by one, as if taking their first real breath in ages, people started to gasp. Children began to cry, and adults looked around in bewilderment.
Morgana’s voice rang out, dripping with false sweetness, shattering my concentration. “Evelyn, darling. How kind of you to join us! Wings? That’s interesting.” Her eyes raked over me, practically salivating, then shifted to our group, lingering on Rafe. “And you’ve brought an angel for me. How nice.”
A crowd of zombies remained, but at least the children and some of the adults had run away, clearly freaked out.
“You’re going to regret this,” I warned her.
She laughed, the sound making the hair on my body stand up straight. “Oh, come now. Is that any way to greet your matriarch and guardian? I practically raised you.”
“Matriarch?” I spat. “You murdered Theo. You’ve enslaved these people. You’re not fit to be a matriarch, and you certainly are no longer fit to be my guardian.”
Morgana’s eyes hardened. “Foolish girl. You have no idea of the power you’re meddling with.” She gestured to the crowd before us.
The large man beside Morgana stepped forward, his voice a deep rumble. “Enough talk. Let’s end this now.”
Ryker tensed beside me. “Father,” he said, his voice low and filled with a mixture of anger and pain.
My eyes widened. This was Ryker’s father? The leader of the shifter gang?
“Ryker,” the man acknowledged coldly. “I see you’ve chosen your side.”
“I have,” Ryker replied.
Before I could process this new information, Morgana raised her hands, dark energy crackling between her fingers.
“Enough talk,” she hissed. “Destroy them!”
The remaining crowd of zombie-like people surged forward. I hesitated, my stomach churning at the thought of hurting innocent people.
“Try not to kill them!” I shouted to the others. “They’re not in control!”
The air exploded with magic as both sides unleashed their powers. I threw up a shield of fire, deflecting a barrage of spells aimed our way. Alister blurred into action, his vampire speed allowing him to take down several of Morgana’s minions in seconds.
Chad had shifted into his hellhound form, his massive jaws snapping at anyone who got too close. Rafe soared overhead, raining down celestial energy on our enemies.
Lucien’s voice cut through the chaos. “Incoming!”
He hurled a vial that exploded into a cloud of shimmering mist. Several of Morgana’s followers stumbled, their movements becoming sluggish. But Morgana was far from defeated. With a wave of her hand, the ground beneath our feet began to quake. Fissures opened up, nearly swallowing Chad whole before Rafe swooped down to pull him to safety.
“Evelyn, watch out!” Lucien’s warning came just in time. I spun to see a wave of darkness hurtling towards me. I threw up a fire shield, but the impact still sent me stumbling backward.
Morgana’s laughter echoed across the battlefield. “Is this the best you can do?” she taunted.
Alister appeared beside us, his eyes blazing with fury. “We need a new strategy,” he growled. “She’s toying with us.”
As if to prove his point, Morgana raised her arms. The remaining spelled townspeople moved in unison, forming a human shield around her. “What will you do now?” she called out. “Will you hurt these innocents to get to me?”
I gritted my teeth, frustration building. We couldn’t risk harming the civilians, but how could we get to Morgana?
Lucien’s voice cut through my thoughts. “I have an idea,” he said, rifling through his seemingly bottomless fanny pack. “But it’s risky. I need a distraction.”
Chad, back in human form, nodded grimly. “Leave it to me.”
Before anyone could stop him, he shifted again and charged straight at Morgana’s human barrier.
“Chad, no!” I yelled, but it was too late.
As Chad neared the line of spelled townspeople, Morgana’s eyes gleamed with malicious triumph. She raised her hand, dark energy crackling between her fingers.
“Foolish beast,” she snarled.
Just as she was about to unleash her spell, Rafe’s voice rang out. “Now, Lucien!”
A small object arced through the air, landing at Morgana’s feet. For a split second, confusion flashed across her face. Then the potion exploded in a blinding flash of light.
Morgana’s scream of rage was cut short as the light engulfed her and the spelled townspeople. When it faded, the civilians stood blinking in confusion, freed from her control.
But Morgana remained.
“Enough games,” she hissed. “You think your parlor tricks can stop what’s coming?”
I caught sight of Lia hanging back, her face pale and void. Was she also spelled?
“Evelyn, watch out!” Lucien’s voice cut through the chaos.
I spun just in time to see Ryker’s father lunging at me, his form rippling as he began to shift. But before he could complete the transformation, Ryker slammed into him, sending them both tumbling to the ground.
“I’ve got this,” Ryker grunted, grappling with his father. “Focus on Morgana!”