Winter Fire (Witchling Series) (30 page)

“It was an accident,” Morgan mumbled. “I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

“What happened?” Summer asked, paling further. “Is he okay?”

“Last I heard, he’s in the hospital in a coma. The doctors won’t know if he’ll make it for a few days,” Dawn replied. “Thanks for resolving my custody battle, Morgan.”

Morgan squeezed her eyes closed, horrified by the idea she hurt Beck so badly that he might not survive. She’d felt the strange coldness that went through him. It came from the rock, and she’d barely managed to keep it from overtaking her.

Or maybe, she’d failed, and he was slowly dying. Her breath caught. The only person who believed in her, and she’d killed him. Her heart ached enough for her tears to start.

Alexa lifted her cuffs. “She burned through another set.”

“Her leg’s broken. She’s not going anywhere,” Dawn replied. “Check Summer’s. Jason, Troy.”

Alexa moved, and Morgan wiped her tears. She didn’t want Dawn to see her weak or upset, but it was so hard to control the emotions when her leg hurt. She had to pretend it was like being home. She’d gone to school once with a broken arm. The pain was excruciating, but if she bore through it then, she could now.

This time, she deserved everything that happened to her.

Coma.

She wanted to sob. Before she could sink again into the fever, the two teens grabbed her arms. Startled, Morgan barely remembered to catch her balance with her good leg. The movement sent streaks of pain through her.

“Dawn, she needs a doctor,” Noah said from across the room.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s just a sprain,” Dawn replied. She moved to Morgan again. “I need something from you.”

Morgan raised her head.

“It’s … a, well, what you used to kill Beck.”

Stunned anyone knew about the stone, Morgan stared at her.

“You know what I’m talking about,” Dawn assessed. “Where is it?”

“I don’t know,” Morgan managed.

“Hmm.” Dawn grew nearer. “I don’t believe you.”

“After … after Beck …” Morgan’s voice trembled. She stopped and swallowed. “I just left.”

Black fog crossed Dawn’s gaze, swallowing the pupils and whites of her eyes. Morgan blinked twice, suspecting she was delusional from shock.

Dawn snatched her neck and lifted her off the ground. Morgan was slammed into the wall behind them before she was able to register she was moving.

“Don’t lie to me, girl.” Dawn’s voice was neither human nor female.

Morgan clutched at the hand around her neck, frantic when her air was cut off. She lashed out, her blows falling squarely on the Dark girl. Dawn ignored them.

“Stop!” Summer cried from across the room.

“You have no power over me now!” Dawn snarled at her. Her attention returned to Morgan. “Where is it?”

“My … my room!” Morgan gasped.

Dawn released her. Morgan dropped, crying out at the pain as she landed in a heap. The Dark girl stumbled back and shook her head. She glanced around, as if uncertain where she was.

Summer was on her feet, held back by Alexa.

“Dawn! What have you done?” she shouted. “You can’t let the Darkness take you!”

“Shut up, Summer!” Dawn retorted. “You have no idea how horrible my life is right now. What choice do I have?”

“It’ll destroy you!”

“It’s your fault I did this. Both of you!” Dawn strode towards the guys.

“Dawn –“ Noah started, frowning.

“Don’t start, Noah. She’s just angry.”

“But she said the –“

“Noah.” Dawn touched her brother’s cheek. “Trust your big sister, okay?”

Noah didn’t respond. Dawn moved away.

Morgan glanced at Summer, who was holding her cheek. It was red, as if Alexa had slapped her. Morgan straightened with some difficulty, her leg thrumming with pain.

“We need to get out of here,” Dawn said. She lifted a pair of handcuffs that Morgan had burnt through. She considered them.

“She melts them or starts things on fire,” Jason complained.

“Not like Tanya,” Alexa agreed. “We can’t leave them here.”

“You made a mess with Tanya,” Dawn said. “And with Summer. In either case, we can’t leave bodies or Beck will be able to read their memories, if he survives.”

Noah’s breath caught loud enough for Morgan to hear. She looked at Dawn’s brother, whose face was white. The other teens weren’t surprised.

“How do you snuff a fire?” Alexa asked, walking to Morgan. “Water?”

“It’s a thought,” Dawn said pensively. “She can burn through wood and melt metal.”

“Dawn, I can’t believe you’re considering this!” Noah said, recovering. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Oh, I’m just playing, Noah,” she said with a big smile. “I wanted to scare them a little.”

Noah didn’t look convinced.

“She’s not joking,” Summer voiced. “She and Alexa tried twice to get rid of me and once to take out Beck. It’s petty jealousy. They got rid of Tanya and now, she wants to hurt Morgan, because Beck’s in love with her.”

Beck’s in love with her.

Morgan’s world froze. She couldn’t believe the words.

She couldn’t believe she’d killed someone who loved her.

“Beck is not in love with her!” Dawn snarled. “He’s attracted to any girl who breathes, but it’s not love. Not like it was with him and me!”

“Then you shouldn’t worry about hiding the bodies,” Morgan said. “It’s the cowardly way out. You lack conviction, Dawn.”

“Conviction,” Dawn tensed.

“Yep,” Morgan said and stood unsteadily. “You have these idiots doing your dirty work. How many tries did it take for them to grab me? Three? If you were serious about killing me, you’d just do it yourself.”

The fog formed again but Dawn shook it off.

“You suffocate it,” she said abruptly. “That’s what you do to fire.”

Fear stirred in Morgan. Dawn was right; Morgan was claustrophobic. Fire needed air and space to exist. Elevators were too small for Morgan.

“Alexa, where do you put someone where there’s no air, metal or wood? Someplace they can’t escape from?” Dawn asked innocently.

“Dawn, I can’t let you do this,” Noah said, stepping forward. “It’s crazy.”

“You think I’m crazy?”

“No, I think this is crazy. It’s gone on long enough. Morgan needs to go to a hospital, and that storm isn’t getting any better.”

Dawn stared at Morgan. She was quiet for a moment, before a cold smile crossed her features. It disappeared as she turned to look at her brother.

“You’re right, Noah,” she said quietly. “It’s gone on long enough. Do you want to get the truck ready, so we can all go back to campus?”

Noah studied her. He hesitated then nodded. She tossed him the keys. He went to the door, lingering for a moment, then left.

“Jason, follow him and tie him up,” Dawn said to the largest of the Dark teens remaining. “Don’t hurt him. He’s my brother. Just keep him from interfering.”

Jason nodded and left. Morgan willed Noah to run.

“Tomb,” Dawn said suddenly.

Alexa shifted uneasily. “Are you serious, Dawn?”

Morgan’s heart was in her ears. She couldn’t imagine a worse death.

“Very,” Dawn said. “You’re right, Morgan. I lacked conviction before. This time, I’ll do it right. Troy, grab Morgan. Alexa, get Summer.”

The door burst open, and Jason stumbled in. Blood was on his face, and he was drenched with water.

“Noah’s gone,” he said.

“Gone?” Dawn demanded. “What do you mean?”

“He knew something was up and jumped me.”

“Find him.”

“But the storm is –“

“Find him!” the inhuman voice was back. “Find him and bring him to me, or don’t come back!”

Jason appeared surprised. Dawn strode to him and backhanded him. The Dark teen flew into the nearest wall and hit it with a thunk. He scrambled to his feet.

“Go!”

He obeyed. The other Dark teens were frozen in shock, while Morgan eased back against the wall. She eyed the nearest window. She had no chances of reaching it and Summer wasn’t going to leave her.

Beck and Summer. She’d kill them both before the night was over.

Morgan pushed the thoughts away.

Dawn shook the Darkness off again. “Troy, Alexa, grab those two.”

Morgan tried to avoid Troy’s reach, but he grabbed her easily. Fire flared up his arms.

“Nice try,” he said and snatched her. “I’m a fire witchling, too. Won’t work on me.” He flung her over his shoulder.

Morgan heard Summer and Alexa scuffling, but couldn’t see them. The sound of something heavy striking flesh came, and the sound stopped. Morgan pushed herself away far enough to see Alexa standing over Summer’s still body, a starter log in her hand. Alexa hauled the unconscious girl into a fireman’s carry.

Dawn blocked Morgan’s vision. A bag was placed over Morgan’s head. She shook it, trying to get rid of it. Dawn tied it around her throat, tight enough to stay in place without strangling her.

“Let’s go,” she ordered.

Morgan hung helplessly over the Dark teen’s shoulder, nauseous again from the movement and her pain. They didn’t go far. She heard the sound of a vehicle running then the chill of stepping outside. She was tossed into what felt like a back seat. Her hands were cuffed once more, and someone propped her up against the door.

Beck’s in love with her.

Morgan started crying, unable to help it. She’d never felt this kind of ache, one that threatened to consume her. She fell into the fever world and passed out. When she finally awoke, the vehicle had stopped, but was still running. Otherwise, it was silent. Disoriented, she wondered how much time had passed. Her neck was stiff, indicating it was longer than a few minutes. She was shaking from the fever.

Dawn’s strange muttering faded in and out of Morgan’s awareness.

“…soul stone. We can send one of the Light witchlings to get it.”

If someone answered, Morgan didn’t hear the voice. There was a pause, as if Dawn was on the phone, before she spoke again.

“Oh. Like a vase. You’ll be the water in it. You won’t need me.” Dawn was pouting.

Again the odd pause. Morgan closed her eyes again, not understanding.

“No. Not Noah.”

 Morgan faded out again. Her whole body felt swollen. Her leg was numb.

The door supporting her gave way and someone caught her as she tumbled out of the car. Someone hauled her through snow. She warmed herself with her fire magick, too weak to fight anymore.

The person supporting her stood her on her feet. She almost passed out at the sudden pulse of pain. Her hood was removed, and she blinked. They were somewhere dark and stale, lit only by flashlights. The beam of one shone in her face. Morgan closed her eyes, grimacing.

“Take a look, Morgan,” Dawn said.

The light was removed from her face. Morgan opened her eyes and struggled to see through the spots the light left. She focused on where the nearest beam was aimed.

Tomb.

They were in a small mausoleum with stone walls and half a dozen stone sarcophagi. One was open, and the flashlight didn’t penetrate the dark space within it.

Morgan tried to stand, but wasn’t able to. She felt the sudden need to run. The walls were too close, the air too heavy and old.

“I want you to suffer like I have,” Dawn’s voice was quiet. “Beck did this to you by dragging you into his life. I want you to remember that every second you’re in there.”

“Dawn,” Morgan started. “What are you doing? This is just insane!”

“Insane. Whatever. Jason, put her in.”

Morgan tried to struggle. Her movement was constricted by her cuffed hands and injured leg.  Jason shoved his foot against her hurt leg. Morgan almost passed out. Her body was limp but her mind aware of what happened. She felt him lift her and maneuver her into the open tomb. She wasn’t the only one there; she felt the soft skin of someone else who was very much alive and assumed it was Summer. The girl didn’t stir, but Morgan heard her breathing.

The sarcophagus was sealed. Morgan struggled out of her mind. Full blown panic lingered at the edges. With her good leg, she lashed out at the lid. It didn’t budge.

She panicked. Morgan clawed at the ceiling, feeling as if the walls were closing in on her. Her fire magick was at a roar, the air of the coffin hot. The cold stone dug into her hip.

A pulse of earth magick penetrated her frantic movements. It silenced the crackling fire and slid between the pain in her leg, and Morgan sagged, panting.

“Morgan,” Summer’s voice trembled. “You have to remain calm.”

Morgan sobbed. A trickle of cold air magick swirled through her. She could breathe suddenly and sucked in a few deep breaths.

“Okay?” Summer asked.

“Okay,” Morgan said in a whisper. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Head hurts.” Summer sounded disoriented.

Fear surged.

In. Out
. She just had to follow Beck’s advice about meditating. Breathe and focus.

 Summer shifted. The tight quarters made it hard for them both to lie any way other than on their sides. The air witchling hugged Morgan, and in turn, she clung to Summer.

Chapter Twenty-One

Summer was reminded of Decker, the night she barely saved him from the Darkness. Morgan trembled, her breathing ragged. She needed someone like Beck, the same way Decker needed Summer. Her fire magick was almost too hot for Summer to bear, and it tore through her. She struggled to balance it out with the air and earth magick. Unable to physically touch either element from inside the tomb, she was weaker than she expected.

“Can you tell me what happened?” Summer asked. “Like how they put us in here?”

Morgan drew a shuddering breath. She explained in halting words what she remembered from the time Summer was knocked out.

Summer listened. Her head felt woolly, and she smelled blood. Alexa hit her hard. It wasn’t a surprise from Decker’s long-time admirer. Summer knew pain after months recovering from her plunge off a cliff. It kept her calm and sharp now.

Morgan was in shock. Not all of her shaking was from the frantic fire in her blood. She fell quiet.

Dawn meant to bury them alive. A chill swept through Summer. Not only that, but somehow, the Darkness had taken Dawn. She needed to warn Decker.