Winter Fire (Witchling Series) (35 page)

Biji envisioned the air lifting the stone lid from the coffin. The gale built. Wind slammed into walls, and the ricochet nearly cost her what control she had on the wind. Gritting her teeth, Biji focused hard.

“You’re doing it!” Noah’s voice was almost lost in the wind. “A little more!”

Encouraged, she concentrated harder, ordering the wind to move the lid. The low sound of stone scraping stone reached her beneath the high-pitched wail of the air.

“Hold it there!” Noah said.

Biji shook from effort and exhaustion. Accessing her magick wasn’t the problem; channeling and controlling it quickly depleted what energy she had.

“Ok, stop!”

She hesitated, uncertain about trusting Noah.

“I braced it with ice,” Noah said.

Biji risked her concentration to open her eyes. Amidst the snow and wobbling light of the flashlight, she saw Noah’s water magick had jammed a foot of ice between the coffin and its lid. The ice barrier made up three sides, with the fourth side open.

She carefully sent her magick away, afraid the ice wouldn’t hold. It did, and she released her hold on the air, gasping. It swirled out of the mausoleum, and silence fell.

“We’re a good team,” Noah said.

Except you killed someone.
She said nothing out loud, but tugged free of his grip.

Biji took the flashlight from him and went to the crypt, peering into its depths. What she saw made her shriek in excitement.

“Summer! Morgan!”

The two girls appeared dazed and pale, but they were alive. Summer’s hair was matted with blood from a gash across her head while Morgan’s eyes glowed unnaturally from fever.

“Hi Biji.” Summer smiled.

Biji’s heart swelled. She started crying, unable to help the tears of relief.

“C’mon, girls,” Noah said. “The ice is strong, but I’m not taking any chances tonight.”

“Take Summer,” Morgan murmured. “I almost fried her.”

Noah stretched an arm into the crypt. Trembling too hard to help, Biji stepped aside. It took some maneuvering, but Summer was soon free. Biji helped balance her. The Light witchling was glassy-eyed and wobbly.

Biji peeled off Noah’s coat and wrapped it around Summer. Summer hugged her hard.

Morgan gave a strangled cry.

“I’m so sorry,” Noah said hastily. “I need to get you out of there.”

“Her leg is broken,” Summer murmured to Biji.

Morgan was sobbing by the time Noah pried her out of the crypt. He lifted her awkwardly and carefully set her down. Biji and Summer sat with her, the three of them hugging. The fire witchling’s magick spread through all of them to keep them warm, and she calmed.

“Water magick,” Morgan said. “Like Connor.”

“Noah is,” Biji replied. “I’m air.”

The fire witchling glanced up at Noah, who lingered far enough away to give them some privacy. Biji didn’t feel ready to look at him. She didn’t know what to think about what he did to save her friends. Without him, Summer and Morgan would’ve been lost this night.

But he
beat
someone to death. Normal, healthy, stable people didn’t do that!

“Thank you, Biji,” Summer said.

“We have to leave before they come back,” Morgan said, struggling to stand. She whimpered.

Noah moved forward to help her.

“They already did. Noah took care of them,” Biji said.

“I have to leave,” Morgan repeated.

“She’s out of it, Biji,” Summer whispered. “She needs a doctor fast.”

“So do you,” Biji replied, eyes caught by the blood trickling down Summer’s head.

“I need air.” Morgan hopped on one foot.

“I’ll take her to the car,” Noah said. He caught her around the waist and carefully moved her outside.

With her fire magick gone, Biji pulled the jacket around both her and Summer. The sound of the SUV started reached her. The other air witchling’s eyes closed.

“No, Summer. Stay awake,” Biji urged. “We have a car. We’ll take you and Morgan to the hospital.”

Summer’s eyes opened. She sighed.

Biji waited for Noah to return. Five minutes passed, then ten. Noah didn’t return, but neither did the SUV leave. She wondered what was wrong, if Morgan fell or something. Another few minutes passed.

To her surprise, it wasn’t Noah who entered, but Decker.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Decker tucked the phone away. Standing outside of the mausoleum, he already knew what Beck had just uncovered.

Let them go.

He glanced towards the wood line, where Sam stood in the shadows of several pine trees. While he loved and respected Sam, Decker had not yet forgiven the forest creature for his role in keeping Summer away from him for three months. By Morgan’s look towards the trees, she heard Sam, too.

Decker turned his attention to the two before him, but lowered the knife in his hand. Beyond enraged, he was thirty seconds from carving up the Dark kid and Morgan.

“Summer is okay,” Morgan repeated.

The girl was in bad shape. Noah was supporting her, and one leg was bent back. Her eyes were glazed and her face pale, clammy. She was in shock, and her fire magick was erratic.

Darkness clung to her, but she wasn’t Dark. He didn’t understand it. If she hurt Beck, she should be. If she wasn’t Dark, she shouldn’t be surrounded by Darkness.

He shivered, drenched. Connor had dropped them into the lake before they reached the bay where Beck was going to meet them. The exhausted water witchling had used up all his magick, mainly because he didn’t yet have the control to understand how to use it efficiently. Decker had dragged them both out of the frigid water. Without his own magick to wring out the water, he was wet and cold to the point of numb.

The only decent part of his night: Connor had turned from in-between to Light, the moment before his heart stopped from exertion. Decker made sure the witchling was alive and breathing before leaving him by the lake.

Decker looked around, unable to determine exactly what happened. A black SUV was parked in front of the mausoleum at the edge of the cemetery. It was empty and running. One of the occupants, a Dark witchling named Jason, lay dead on the ground nearby. His head was busted open; there was no way he survived the beating he took. Alexa was handcuffed in the snow pile near the mausoleum. She was alive and squirming.

Noah was bloodied as if he got into a fight while Morgan was a train wreck.

“Someone tell me what’s going on,” Decker growled.

“I have to leave,” Morgan said.

“Not unless I say so.”

Tears filled her eyes. She pushed at Noah, who released his grip on her. Morgan balanced on one leg and reached into her pocket. She withdrew something and held it out in her shaking hand.

“D…Dawn is coming for this,” she said and swallowed hard. “It’s Darkness.”

Decker stared at her, unaware of what she might have that could house the Dark. He approached but stopped, suddenly feeling the Darkness. It was intense, coiled, powerful.

What he sensed was situated in her hand; it glowed with flames to keep the Darkness from freezing her.

He didn’t dare touch it, not with his fire magick outside his reach.

“I have to take it away,” she said.

Morgan’s green eyes were blurry from tears, her body shaking. He saw the depth of her despair and recalled feeling it before, when he thought he lost Summer. Her hand closed around the black stone.

Decker shifted, torn between trying to figure out exactly what was going on with her and needing his Summer. For the sake of his brother, he stayed where he was.

“You don’t have to leave,” he said.

“I do. I’m hurting the Light and almost killed Beck,” she whispered. “I can’t come back.”

“So you’re going with him?” His eyes slid to Noah, Dawn’s brother, the last person Decker suspected she should go with.

“I didn’t stop my sister when I should have,” Noah said in a hushed voice. “I’m trying to fix things now.”

“You took out Jason and Alexa,” Decker assessed.

Noah nodded. “Biji and I freed Morgan and Summer.”

“I’m going somewhere where Dawn and … my family can’t find me,” Morgan said.

Decker paced for a moment, feeling like a caged animal. He had seen Morgan’s memories. He knew what she was running from.

Let them go,
Sam said again.

“What about Beck?” Decker demanded of both Morgan and Sam. “You’re just going to leave him?”

“I don’t want to!” she cried. “If I don’t, I’ll hurt him.”

Her trial doesn’t end tonight.

“Shit,” Decker muttered. “If you care anything about him, you won’t just walk away.”

Morgan wiped her face, shaking harder.

“I’m not as strong or good as he is,” she said. “He’ll have a chance, if I’m gone.”

The words were too familiar. Decker paused in his pacing, searching her face. They were words he’d uttered about Summer soon after they started dating, when he realized just how much he cared about her.

“You can’t leave, Morgan,” he said, softening.

She must, Decker. The rite of passage has stripped your magick and Beck’s. If she stays, Dawn will take the soul stone and unleash an old Darkness upon the world.

“Soul stone,” he repeated out loud.

Morgan nodded.

Of all the weeks to have their coming of age rites … Beck was correct in that they had no idea life was going to turn crazy this week. Decker was still angry.

“What do I tell Beck?” he asked reluctantly.

“Nothing. Tell him I’m gone forever,” Morgan replied in a voice so soft, he barely heard it. “No one can know where I am, Decker.”

Fury filled him. Irritated by the heaviness of his wet coat, Decker slung it off. He took a deep breath to keep from exploding then released it slowly.

“You’re making a mistake,” he said. “But go. I know I can find Noah in a couple of days.” Fed up, Decker spun on his heel and strode into the mausoleum.

His eyes fell to two forms in the corner, and he hurried to them. Biji and Summer were trembling with cold beneath a large coat. The pain and fear he’d kept somewhat calm since she disappeared unraveled.

“Summer,” he whispered, sweeping her into his arms. The moment he touched her, his world calmed. “You’re hurt.” He gingerly pushed blood soaked hair from her face.

She smiled up at him, exhausted, pale and still the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.

“I’m okay,” she replied. “I’m so happy to see you. Decker, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Wait until we get you somewhere warm,” he replied.

He hugged her tighter, silently swearing never to let her go again, even to let her sleep on the Light Campus. Summer tugged one arm loose to wrap around Biji and drag her closer to them. Biji was crying. Decker included her in their hug. He didn’t give Biji a second glance before he learned just how good of a friend she was to Summer. Now, she was a part of their family.

“We’ll give you all a ride to the lodge,” Noah called into the mausoleum.

Decker released Biji and shifted to pick up Summer. He carried her out of the mausoleum and to the SUV, gently setting her down on one of the back seats. He glanced back to make sure Biji was able to walk and following. The smaller girl appeared distraught but climbed into the SUV. Morgan was in the passenger seat while Noah climbed into the driver’s seat.

Decker exited the SUV and crouched beside Alexa. She squeezed her eyes closed at his hard stare.

“In a couple of days, we’re going to have a talk, Alexa,” he said in a low, dangerous voice. “You’ll tell me everything I want to know, and I’ll kill you quickly. Or, you can refuse to tell me anything, and I’ll pass you off to the Darkness.”

Her breath caught. She didn’t open her eyes or speak. He picked her up and placed her in the luggage area of the SUV then climbed in beside Summer. When he had his magick back, the first thing he’d do was find Dawn and the other Dark teens.

Decker wrapped his arms around Summer. She rested against him, the only reason he didn’t tear Alexa to pieces right away. Seeing his Summer hurt made him crazy with anger.

But he held her and breathed in the scent of her hair, content to know she was in his arms and safe. His gaze went to the passenger seat, where Morgan was slumped. Decker wasn’t certain if he should feel sorry for her or angry. Sam agreed that she needed to leave, but he couldn’t help thinking that his brother deserved better. An explanation at least.

Although, if this was part of Morgan’s trial, he understood why Sam was siding with the fire witchling.

Soul stone. He’d never heard of it. The voices in his mind went silent at the mention, as if none of his predecessors wanted to explain what it was.

Decker pulled out his phone to text Beck.

Not at cemetery. Go to lodge.
He typed then sent.

He wasn’t certain what he’d tell Beck about Morgan. With Summer in his arms, Decker didn’t want to think about the amount of pain Beck was about to go through. He went through it with Summer. It nearly destroyed him.

They reached the lodge on a small peninsula overlooking frozen docks and the lake. Decker climbed out then held out his hands to Summer. She took them, wobbly on her feet. Biji climbed out next, and he closed the door behind them.

Noah hopped out to walk with them to the steps of the lodge. The parking lot was icy, and Decker glanced over as the water witchling took Biji’s hand to help her.

“Take care,” Noah said quietly to Biji. She looked up at him quizzically.

Decker said nothing when Noah turned to him. Dawn’s brother was tense. He moved back to the SUV and climbed in.

“Decker!” Beck’s shout drew his attention. He turned and released Summer, trotting towards his brother. “You said … you said they’re …”

“Take a breath,” Decker instructed his twin.

Beck bent over, breathing hard.

“Did you sprint two miles?” Decker asked with a shake of his head.

“Yeah.”

Hearing the SUV’s engine at a whine on the ice, Decker moved his brother off the driveway. Though loud, the vehicle didn’t pass them, and he looked around. To his amazement, the SUV was spinning out of control down the slope towards the docks. Its tires had locked up.