Haven: Revenge of the Viper (20 page)

“Now you did it,” whispered Holly out of the side of her mouth. “I forgot to mention—the bond between familiar and master is symbiotic. They share almost everything, including sight and sound.”

Travis looked over at Holly sheepishly. “Really, well that would have been helpful to know a minute ago.”

“Sorry,” Holly replied, trying to suppress a grin.

The tall witch stepped forward, reached into her robes, and swiftly retrieved her wand. It was the color of lilac, long, thin and gnarly, like a slender twig. Travis’s mouth fell open for a third time and he began to shuffle back against the couch. Sam wasn’t sure whom he was most scared of—the witch with the wand, or the large white wolf following her.

“Back, young man, back!” she snapped in a raspy Russian accent, pointing her wand at Travis.

Travis quickly raised his hands in front of his face, scared of what she might do. Sam tensed and he began to stand up, but he stopped when he felt Holly’s hand on his shoulder.

“It’s okay, Sam. She won’t hurt him,” she whispered.

The witch stopped just short of Travis and stood next to Sarah’s body. “Now, don’t move,” she barked, waving her wand in his direction. Her tiny eyes were barely visible beneath the wrinkled folds of skin. Sam could make out thin salt-and-pepper eyebrows that almost touched her nose and dark age spots near the corners of her eyes. “Or I’ll turn you into a dung beetle, got it?”

Travis nodded imperceptibly with his mouth gaping wide and his eyes bulging. Still pointing her wand at him, the witch looked down at Sarah and her angry frown vanished.

“Oh, my,” she gasped. Her eyebrows rose so high that her forehead almost disappeared completely. The witch’s once beady eyes were now large and full of concern. Her neck had become stiff and her shoulders rigid as she clutched her robes near her chest. The white wolf sauntered to the witch’s side and squatted down next to Sarah’s body with a quiet whimper.

Holly and Sam quickly stood and Sam felt his heart leap to his throat. What had the witch seen? Was Sarah worse?

Quickly, the short squatty witch moved across the room, much faster than Sam would have expected, and joined them, her wolf padding alongside her.

“Tosya, is that what I think it is?” the short witch asked, putting her hand to her chest.

Tosya tilted her long bullet-like head and pursed her lips. “I … yes … I think so, Sonia,” she stammered. Her reply put Sam on edge. Holly had said it was a good thing that the witches were there. But they were looking at his sister like she was a puzzle to be solved, and from the looks of it they were confused on exactly how to do that. If the witches were supposed to make Sam feel better they were failing miserably. Sarah looked dreadful; she was white as a ghost and was barely breathing. Sam wanted more answers but he was trying to be patient. After all, help had arrived. So for now he would wait and give them a chance to do whatever it was they could do as witches.

“I can’t see a thing in here,” Tosya complained. “Sonia, dear, can I have some light, please?” But there was no answer from the plump witch. Holly and Sam both looked to Sonia, who was still staring intently at Sarah’s motionless body.

“Sonia, dear! Some light, please!” Tosya repeated.

Snapping out of her troubled stare, Sonia jumped and her eyes popped open on her puffy round face. “What? Oh yes, yes, sorry.”

She quickly stepped back and retrieved an ivory-colored wand from the deep pockets of her robes. Walking as fast as her squat legs could carry her, she began pacing the perimeter of the room, flicking her pudgy hand and sending small dollops of orange and red flames into the air. Her white wolf trotted behind her with its long snout held high. The flames floated in the air like candles without wax as they spaced themselves evenly around the perimeter of the room. Sam and Travis watched as the once dark and gloomy room gradually came to life with a soft buttery glow.

The house was almost unrecognizable now. Sheetrock, wood, wire, and insulation littered the floor. The room was scorched and spattered with pieces of wood and other fragments lodged deep in the walls, like shrapnel from a bomb blast. Sam felt his heartbeat quicken momentarily. The house was in shambles and it looked nothing like the place he had once called home.

Tosya, who was still scrutinizing Sarah, took a knee, closed her eyes, and ran her twisted wand along the length of Sarah’s body. Her hand was steady, gliding just inches above Sarah. Sam watched, paralyzed, his eyes glued to the wand as it swept back and forth. He grimaced as the witch began to mutter softly like someone at an eerie séance. When Tosya opened her eyes again, her pupils and irises had vanished, turning her eyes a bone white. The wolf at her side began to growl, its lips pulled into a tight snarl.

Travis glanced nervously at Sam and mouthed, “Magic.”

Sam acknowledged Travis with a quick nod of the head, not wanting to draw any attention to himself. The last thing Sam wanted was for Tosya to be mad at him, too.

When Sonia finally returned to the group, she did not return alone. Demetrius, Lyra, and Jacob were with her. Immersed in half-shadows, they stood silhouetted against a backdrop of flickering flames and whispering incantations that reminded Sam of musical verses. Another minute or so passed before Tosya finally lowered her wand and looked up at Demetrius. Her eyes returned to normal but her troubled stare was worse than ever.

“This is a Viper wound, Demetrius. I’m surprised she’s not dead.” Demetrius’s stern glare confirmed the witch’s diagnosis.

“Yes, Tosya,” he said heavily, “there were two Vipers.” His tone was flat but his amber eyes blazed with the same intensity Sam had seen earlier.

“Two! Good heavens!” Tosya cried. She looked at Sonia in disbelief. Sonia walked forward and placed a hand on Tosya’s slender shoulder to steady herself. “Demetrius, I think you better tell me what’s going on. I mean,” she glanced around the room, “it looks like the Great War happened in here!”

“Didn’t the Majesty inform you before you left?” asked Holly, raising an eyebrow.

“No!” Tosya exclaimed. Her nostrils were flared now.

“Minister Bogdan notified us personally,” Sonia added, “but all he would tell us is that we needed to report to the infirmary at once and that it was an emergency. So we did as he asked, didn’t we, Tosya?” She looked to the thin witch for confirmation.

Tosya nodded in agreement. “When we arrived, we were met by an escort of Centurions and we evaporated into the Black Mountains. From there we were led into the mountain itself and to the portal. It was only then that we were told we were needed off-world and, well, here we are. I mean, can you imagine the shock? Off-world? Us? We had no idea an active portal even existed anymore, much less that we would be dealing with Vipers! We all thought they were dead, didn’t we? And …” Her voice trailed off as she looked down at Sarah. “I knew something wasn’t right when I saw the remains of young Gordon in the cavern. Dear me, poor boy; never seen anything like it.” She put a hand to her wrinkled cheek. “Dark magic, Demetrius, very dark magic.”

Sam and Travis shared the same grievous expression. Sam wasn’t exactly sure what the witch was talking about but he had heard enough to know that it sounded like very bad news.

“But I knew the moment we saw this young girl,” she continued in a dismal tone. “I could sense the evil and torment that her fragile soul is under.”

Sam stepped forward, unable to take it any longer. His pulse was racing again. “Will she be all right, can you help her?” he asked.

Tosya looked up at Sam, then turned to Demetrius. “Demetrius, who are these young men and why are they here?”

“Please,” Sam persisted, “answer the question. Will she be all right?” He could hear how desperate he sounded but he didn’t care. He was scared and terrified of losing the only person he had left in his family.

Tosya’s eyes were bulging and she seemed unable to blink. “The infection is spreading,” she said curtly. “We need to get her back to the Majesty.” Then she turned her attention back to Demetrius. “We’ll need to leave—”

“But can you help her?” Sam cried. Tosya reared her head back in surprise. His defiant tone had stunned her, rendering her momentarily speechless. Sam thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head. Apparently she was not used to being addressed like that by anyone.

“Sam,” Demetrius cautioned. His stoic tone caught him off guard. Sam’s face had gone red and blotchy now. He turned, ready to round on Demetrius, when Tosya abruptly answered.

“No!”

The word hung in the air with such finality that Sam froze. His mouth was still open ready to argue his point to Demetrius, but no words came out. The room fell silent; even the Centurions standing guard glanced over to Tosya when she spoke.

“Wha … What?” Travis stammered. His injured face was twisted in disbelief. “But, you … you have magic.”

Tosya shifted about and her eyes averted Travis’s disappointed gaze. This time when she spoke, it seemed more forthcoming.

“At best, I can slow the venom from spreading, perhaps prolong the inevitable. But you must understand that this venom was forged from the darkest of magic. One for which there is no cure. Not one that can be conjured, anyway.”

“What do you mean,” Holly interrupted, “‘not one that can be conjured?’” She stared intently at the elder witch. “Is there another way?”

Tosya’s beak-like face turned a ruby red, making her gaunt features more apparent beneath the hood of her crimson cloak. She looked up hesitantly at Sonia, who narrowed her eyes into a warning stare.

“Demetrius,” Lyra said in her regal tone that swiftly captivated the entire group, “it is time. You have no choice. Secrecy cannot help Sarah now.”

Demetrius met Lyra’s eyes and his quiet confidence seemed to melt away into a vacant stare. Sam could tell by the look on his face that there was an internal struggle going on, but over what he didn’t know. Demetrius grudgingly turned and gave Holly a fleeting look before speaking.

“Tosya,” he said firmly. “We need your help. If there is a way we can save Sarah … Dalcome, we need to know.”

Tosya blinked, her flushed face slowly turning pale. “What? What did you say?” Her voice had become meek and unsteady. Her eyes moved to Holly, then to Travis, and finally rested on Sam.

“What are you saying, Demetrius?” She looked at Sam as if she were seeing him for the first time. “Is this …”

“No,” Sonia gasped, “it can’t be.” She too was now staring at Sam. Sam’s frustration had suddenly been sidelined. He was becoming extremely uncomfortable now that everyone was looking at him.

Demetrius leaned down with Hollister in one hand and the other on Tosya’s shoulder. Tosya turned, confused. Her eyes searched Demetrius’s rugged features for any sign of reason beyond the mystifying conclusion she had apparently come to on her own. Sam almost felt sorry for the witch. He knew what it was like to wake up in a world that was much bigger and more frightening than you could have ever imagined.

“This is Sarah Dalcome,” Demetrius said ruefully, “the daughter of Rylan and Alisa Dalcome. And this,” Demetrius looked to Sam, “is their one and only son, Samuel Dalcome.”

Tosya looked back to Sam, flabbergasted, her beady eyes openly staring at him in the dim candlelight. Gradually, Tosya stood, Sonia hesitantly stepped forward, and together they inched their way closer to Sam. Sam, unsure of what they were doing, wanted to back away but reluctantly stood his ground. Tosya slowly lifted her trembling wand until it was level with his face. The lilac-colored wand illuminated his face as they leaned in closer. What they saw next made their mouths drop open and their pupils dilate.

“The eyes!”

Chapter 18

T
osya stepped back so fast that she almost trampled Sonia in the process. Her hand was shaking frantically and Sam thought she might drop her wand at any moment.

“Dear Lord! How … how?” she stammered. Sonia, who had not budged from her spot, looked mesmerized. Her arched brows and wide eyes made her face look longer than normal. Tosya’s white wolf circled in front of her, its eerie orange glare bearing down on Sam.

“What? What’s wrong?” Sam asked. Why were they reacting that way and what was wrong with his eyes?

“I would know those eyes anywhere,” Tosya cried, her voice trembling. “The same as your parents.”

“Tosya, please, calm down. Everything is all right,” Demetrius said.

“Calm down?” she roared, turning to face him. “Demetrius Lore, I don’t get excited anymore. I’m old, so that stopped happening ages ago. When you reach my age you have seen just about everything. But when you bring someone back from the dead, well, I tend to get a little … unhinged! So, please, bear with me while I take a moment to comprehend just exactly how the child I helped bring into this world has suddenly been resurrected! If. You. Don’t. Mind.” she said angrily.

“What?” Sam gasped. What did she mean
bring into this world?

Demetrius’s cheeks turned a light pink, making his white beard look more pronounced on his well-defined face. Lyra quickly put her hand to her mouth, trying desperately to suppress a laugh. Holly suddenly became engrossed with the pommel of her staff, trying to avoid Demetrius’s stunned face altogether. Travis shook his head and gave Sam a brooding stare, then muttered something about witches and Snow White again.