Released Souls (27 page)

Reaching the center of the field, my eyes scanned the vacant field as the wind attempted to shatter the frozen grass reeds, but they stood strong. Finally, I caught a glimpse of a figure at the far end of the field, opposite of where we entered.
The figure was moving quickly toward where I waited.

It appeared my grandfather was alone, but looks were often deceiving.

Within minutes my grandfather was standing in front of me. Eben looked stronger today. He was standing upright, his cheeks were fuller, and he didn’t have a tremor in his voice. He must have had a shot of whatever it was that keeps him going.

“I’m so pleased to hear that you have some very
peculiar talents,” Eben said. “I see you left Logan over there. Bring him over. After all, he’s almost family.”

I cringed when
Eben mentioned the word family and had to turn away quickly. I could still see my grandfather motioning over to Logan, which made my insides tighten.

“So a
Trifecta
,” he continued, clasping his hands in front of him.

I couldn’t bring myself to look in his eyes as he spoke. Instead, I sca
nned the outskirts of the field hoping I didn’t see any members of the
Praedivinus
order, and so far I didn’t.

“You don’t trust me?” Eben asked.

Logan stood beside me, and I was amazed at how quickly he managed to get to me. I felt him snake his arm around me, and I lifted my gaze to meet my grandfather’s.

“Not at all,” I replied.

“Understandable,” he conceded. “What would you like to show me first?”

I turned to face Logan
who was playing the part ever so wonderfully as he egged me on, releasing me from his side.

“S
how him the flames,” Logan offered, winking.

I nodded and took several steps away from them both.
The field was so cold and frosty I knew the fires I created would be easily extinguishable.

“
They’re here,”
Logan channeled to me.

Keeping the smile off my face, I turned around and looked at Eben.

“Here goes nothing.” I closed my eyes and let my mind wander. I thought of everything that I had put Logan through and my blood began pounding. The anger began seeping through every thought and motion. I took a deep breath and smiled at Eben. His eyes seemed to be dimming already. His potion must be wearing off.

“I’m targeting that boulder,” I announced, pointing across the field.

My palms began to sting, and I turned them over exposing the familiar amber glow. I brought my hand back, making a fist, and then released a ball of fire. It flew toward the intended target, and I heard my grandfather’s claps echo through the air as the flames landed on the target.

“Marvelous,” he said. “Do it again.”

Once more, I positioned myself to ignite the flames inside my fist as my hand blazed through the air.

“Nice work, babe,” Logan yelled to me.

I flashed him a smile, but caught a flicker of movement from the woods. I glanced quickly at Eben who seemed to have noticed the same movement.

Before I
knew what was happening the air was charged with something I couldn’t identify, and Logan tumbled over in pain. His face was frozen as his entire body shuddered violently before he suddenly stilled.

My screams reached the woods as an entire army of witches and wildlife emerged. I ran toward
Logan as fast as I could but crashed into some sort of invisible wall. My body landed on the frozen ground with a thump, and I stood back up, pounding on the fortress that separated me from Logan. Bolts of electricity flew through air to combat Eben’s spells.

Trevor was directing the violent attacks as the silver and blue lines zigzagged through the atmosphere. The crackling sound was
almost incapacitating as I attempted to crack my way through the shield surrounding Logan. Nothing I did would let me through.

I watched as the electrical currents began bouncing back t
oward the witches throwing them and turned to see Eben casting an entire bubble around us. There was no way for the witches to get through with their weapons.

“Tsk. Tsk.” Eben shook his head.
He scanned the field that was now overrun with our witches. I spotted Trevor and shook my head. His eyes searched in front of me, landing on Logan’s still body.

“E
lectricity is a marvelous thing,” Eben laughed. “It has so many uses.”

I watched as the sparks bounced off the clear
capsule surrounding us all.

“Unfortunately, I never did trust your motives. I’m afraid I
didn’t think you ever had any intention of joining me,” Eben surmised, whipping his hands through the air forming a bubble around him as well.

Eben caught me glancing at Logan. “Aah, but I think I know what might make you make decide
quickly.”

I turned my attention to the clear wall that surrounded us
as the witches pounded on it with any and every sharp object they could find. Cracks would form but would quickly fill up.

I
completely turned my back on Eben, hoping that would infuriate him, and looked at Trevor. I touched my fingertips together and Trevor blinked once. He understood what I was going to do.

Trevor
held up his fist and took a step backward, commanding the rest of the witches to retreat.

“Whatever you think you’re going to do, don’t bother,” Eben snarled.

I turned so quickly that droplets of silver splashed along the clear wall on my way to shoot the metal toward my grandfather. As the silver released from my fingertips, I watched the streams penetrate through the colorless veil surrounding Eben. I pushed through his safety net with an endless supply of silver fury.

My breath rushed out as I continued pulsing the silver through my fingertips
watching Eben avoid every motion. Instinctively my bow snaked around my wrist, allowing me to quickly aim and shoot. The arrow sliced through the air but smashed into the shield.

Barely a second had passed and
Eben collapsed to the ground vanishing into the air. I turned quickly to look behind me to grab Logan, but he was gone. I ran to where I last saw him— the shields were lowered —but there was no sign of him.

Trevor signaled for the witches to leave. He knew what he’d be dealing with in a matter of seconds.
I had to hold it together. I couldn’t let anyone see me fall apart. My hands were trembling as I slowly circled where Logan fell. I knew he was alive. Our
nectunts
never stopped radiating warmth, but he was badly wounded.

The breeze tossed my hair like a veil in front of my face, shielding
my tears from the crowd that was slowly dispersing. How did I let him slip through my fingers?

I fell to
my knees, holding my head in my hands. This was not how it was going to end. Victory was the only option. I slowly brought my stare up to the scattering witches. I didn’t want them to leave. I needed them. I was no longer going to hold myself back.

“Trevor!” I stood up quick
ly and waved him over. “We need to pounce now. Eben won’t expect it. I know he tapped into my emotions a few minutes ago and he saw my devastation, welcomed it really.”

I threw an evil grin to
Trevor. “Well, that’s changed.”

“Triss, Logan made me promise that under no circumstance
would I allow you to risk your life for his.”

“I’m going in with or without your help.
” My eyes were blazing. “But it would be a lot easier with your help and theirs.” I pointed to the witches making their way through the field.

Trevor nodded and sighed.
“I’ll get everyone together. Logan’s going to kill me.”

“Well, let’s give
him that opportunity, shall we?” I stated. “Eben took him to The Witch Avenue Covenstead. I need you to get everyone over there. I’m going in, and I need one more favor.”

“You do understand your
choices
my dear granddaughter,” Eben replied, clasping his hands together and displaying a vicious smile.

“Completely.” I glanced at Logan who was tied to a large wooden bishop chair. There was a green cast boxing him in. I wasn’t sure what spell he
threw around him to keep him inside of the box, but I’d have to figure it out. I could tell I had surprised my grandfather by getting here so quickly.

I looked over at Logan. Hi
s head was hanging to the right side. His shirt was tattered and had rust-colored spots splattered down the front. I lied to myself that it wasn’t blood, but my brain wasn’t falling for what my heart wouldn’t believe. I swallowed, hoping to stop the gasp that wanted to escape seeing Logan in this condition. All it did was add fuel to the fire burning inside of me. I wasn’t going to allow this evil to exist anymore.

Eben uncurled his fingers and motioned for me. “Come here.”

“Don’t think so,” I replied, looking around the room. He had taken Logan to the Elders’ Den. The walls were covered in red, velvet curtains that hung from floor to ceiling, and the wooden pews were pushed to the sides of the room. Candles surrounding Logan dripped wax endlessly.

“Your talents are far too valuable to waste. You can lead this world where it needs to be.” Eben began pacing, dropping his stare to the wooden floor.

“What makes you think that I’d want to?”

Eben turned toward Logan and then looked back at me, smiling wickedly.

“I think we both know what will help you choose correctly,” Eben’s voice went an octave lower, his eyes a shade darker. “For decades I was in pursuit of something to make me everlasting – immortal, if you will. I’m almost there. We’re almost there,” Eben said. “My people are so close to perfecting an engineered formula.”

I forced
myself to stay focused on the figure in front of me. Whatever potion he took to be stronger in the field had worn off. He looked fragile.

“
You’d have followers, and I guarantee there is nothing better than having followers,” Eben’s voice was sharp. “You hold the power to change our world beyond anything I’ve accomplished, if you’d only allow me to teach you… That’s all I ask, and I’ll let him go free.”

“I don’t believe you. You wouldn’t spend a lifetime chasing immortality only to give it up. There’s something else driving you.”

Eben nodded, still not looking at me. “You’re also wise.”

“Stop with the niceties and get on with it,” I snapped.

A sardonic smile spread along his thin, wrinkled lips.

“Do you understand that you’re the first in our line of witches to reject black magic?” He turned to face me, fixing his cold stare on me.

“Do you think I care?”

“We’ve worked centuries building an underground society that controlled the non-believers. Once I came into power, the expansion happened at record speed across the globe. Everything our ancestors worked toward for centuries
, I completed in a matter of decades. You can understand my dismay when my own children couldn’t cut it and then my granddaughter rejected it.” He shook his head. “But when I heard you killed Lara, I realized you didn’t reject it. You just haven’t experienced it yet. The power. Anyone who can kill blood with such ease is something that can’t be taught.”

I said a silent thank you to Logan once more for stepping in with Lara.

“I’ve heard you’ve been looking for the
Circulus Desideriis
?” I asked, throwing him off track.

He stopped pacing and looked at me.
“What do you know of them?”

“
I know I have them with me.”

“Give them to me now,” he commanded.

“I’ll give them to you if you drop the spell around Logan.”

“Willing to bargain, huh? I think you’re closer to claiming our side
than you want to admit.” He turned around and chanted a spell in a low hum that I wasn’t able to catch.

The green cast dissipated around Logan.

“Your end of the bargain?” he bowed slightly.

I reached inside of my
jacket and pulled the silver out, tossing it to Eben. His eyes widened as he caught it between his index finger and thumb.

“Now back to your knack for taking life… I
t wasn’t your first time taking life, was it? Now let me guess. They’ve all told you that because you’ve killed in self-defense it makes it okay?” he questioned, his eyes dancing with delight. “Did you believe it or did you just enjoy the excuse to act on the unthinkable? Let’s see. The first kill was in the field by your mom’s cottage, and then of course, there was Lara—”

“Enough,” I snarled.

“You’re right. I digress,” he sighed. “So you’ve really put a crinkle in things. I’m dying of old age. You’ve killed Lara and incapacitated your father.”

So he doesn’t know I awoke my
father.

“
You’re the only one left to continue the traditions of the family. We’ve acquired more wealth than you could ever imagine, and it can all be yours and his.” He looked over at Logan.