"What are you two doing down here?" a voice snapped.
The Vandy stood behind us, hands on her hips. Even though she was scowling, her eyes were tired, the creases around them more pronounced.
"We were just-" Jenna said, but the Vandy raised her hand.
"I don't care what you were doing. Get back up to your room. Now."
Jenna moved toward the stairs, but I stayed where I was. "Is this what you want, too?" I asked the Vandy. "All the kids here turned into demons?
Because I know you're kind of a jerk, but I didn't think you were evil."
Her scowl twisted into something uglier. Something almost pained. "That's enough!" she snapped, pointing toward the stairs. "Go." Leaning heavily on Jenna, I made my way back up to our room. As soon as the door closed behind us, I heard the click of the lock. While I collapsed on the bed, shivering with pain and need, Jenna paced. "They're just going to keep coming for all of us. Every night, we're going to lie in our beds and listen to that-that nightmare, and wonder if we're next."
She sat down heavily on her bed. "Sophie, what are we going to do?"
Get the grimoire. Restore my powers. The thought was so strong, I groaned and covered my ears with my hands. "I don't know," I told Jenna, and tears clogged my throat. Was there any feeling in the world worse than hopelessness?
I rolled onto my side, and the need for the grimoire pounded alongside my pulse. I was so wrapped up in my own agony that when I saw something moving in the mirror, I thought I was just hallucinating. But then Jenna said, "What the heck was that?" Forcing myself to focus, I sat up and squinted at the glass. Another flicker, almost like a shadow, was moving inside the mirror. And then the picture came in clearer.
Torin.
He was only there a second before disappearing again, but I jumped off the bed, ignoring the shrieking in my head. "You saw that, right?" I asked Jenna.
She was still on her bed, her eyes wide. "Yeah. There was a dude in the mirror. What-" But I was already pressing my palms against the glass. "Torin? Are you in there?" I had no idea how he'd managed to move from the mirror at the Brannicks' to this one, but I wasn't complaining. His image wavered in front of me again, almost like a TV that was getting bad reception. I caught the flash of irritation on his face as he faded back out. But just before he did, he mouthed two words: "Your parents."
"What?" I cried out, slapping the glass with one hand. "What about my parents? Torin? TORIN!" When he didn't reappear, I wanted to scream with frustration.
Jenna appeared at my side. "Elodie. See if Elodie's magic can...I don't know, pull him through." After what she'd done, I hated the idea of Elodie back in my body. But desperate times...
"El-" was all I got out before she whooshed in.
Pull him through, I told her, my voice cold.
She didn't answer, but I could feel her magic rain down over me and through my fingertips. But as hard as she tried, as much as I kept saying, Come on, come on, come on, there was no sign of Torin. Finally, my hands dropped away from the glass, and Elodie said, "I can't. Whatever he's trying to do, my magic isn't strong enough to help."
Sighing, she turned and leaned against the dresser. Jenna was still standing in front of me, her arms folded tightly across her chest.
"Sophie's magic could do it," Elodie told her.
Jenna stepped closer, and I knew she was searching Elodie's eyes for me. "She can't get her powers back. If she does, the Casnoffs could-"
"Control her? Yeah, I know. But don't you think it's worth the risk?"
Um, no? I said, even as Jenna chewed her lip and didn't answer.
"All I'm saying," Elodie continued, "is that in a contest of wills between Sophie and Lara Casnoff? I'd put my money on Sophie. Maybe they would be able to control her. Or maybe, just maybe, she could fight it." I can't. It's too big of a risk. What would happen to Jenna if I was under Lara's control?
What will happen to her if you go on like this? I can feel you, Sophie. You're going to be in agony until you touch that damn spell. So I say go touch it and see what happens.
Jenna lifted her hands to frame my face, tilting my head down. "Soph," she said. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but...I think Elodie is right.
With your powers, there's a chance you might be giving yourself over to the Casnoffs, yeah. But without your powers? There's no chance we'll get out of this."
Elodie turned and opened the top dresser drawer. There, on top of a pile of clothes, was the grimoire.
How did that get in here? I asked, suddenly understanding why its pull had been so strong this morning.
I brought it here to do this. My hand picked up the book, flipping to the spell, and Elodie brought my palm over the page.
NO, I screamed, and Elodie hesitated.
You have to, she finally said, her voice firm. I thought it would be easier if I did it for you.
No, I said again, but even inside my own head, I sounded weak.
Do it, Elodie replied. End this.
I felt her leave, and stumbled back against the dresser. After getting my breath back, I raised my head and stared at the open door. My magic was rioting inside of me.
Jenna took my hand. "You can do this," she said. "I know you can. You're stronger than they are." I wasn't so sure about that.
But I was sure about what I had to do.
I didn't let myself think about it. I just snatched the grimoire off the floor where I'd dropped it when Elodie had left. My fingers unerringly turned to the spell that was screaming for me. And then, without letting myself so much as take a deep breath, I pressed my hand against the page.
It was like something exploded inside my chest. I stood, frozen, as my powers uncurled, magic spilling into my veins. The hardwood floor around my feet cracked, and Jenna leaped back with a shriek.
Breathing so heavily I was nearly panting, I flung the grimoire to the floor and slammed both my hands against the mirror. Torin, I thought, and yanked.
He appeared so suddenly in the glass that I jumped.
"What in the bloody hell was that?" he cried, blinking furiously before his gaze finally landed on me. When it did, he grinned. "Oh, well done, Sophia."
I didn't have much time. I could feel something, like an itch at the back of my mind, and I knew Lara, somewhere on Graymalkin Island, was suddenly becoming aware of what had happened. "Why were you trying to reach me? Where are my parents?"
"Hmm? Oh, right, my glorious mission. After you left-"
"Save it!" I barked. "What do you want and where are they?"
He frowned. "All right, all right. They're in Ireland. At Lough Bealach. I was supposed to get through and see if you were harmed in any way, but
-"
I was already moving, scooping up the grimoire, shoving it once again into my waistband.
It was easy work to blast the lock off the door. It was even easier to use my magic to call for Call and Archer. Call was in his cabin, Archer in his room, and I spoke in both their heads at the same time . Meet Jenna and me outside. Get ready to run. And then, because I realized I'd just basically screamed inside their brains, I added, Please. And sorry about the yelling.
Jenna followed me out onto the landing. I was maybe three steps down the stairs when it happened.
With a sudden jerk, I came to a stop. I couldn't run. I couldn't leave the island. How foolish of me. No, what I needed to do now was go to Lara.
Lara needed me, and she would-
"Sophie?" Jenna asked, touching my elbow.
I turned and looked at Jenna. She was in my way. She would try to stop me from getting to Lara, from fulfilling my destiny. So there was only one thing to do, really.
I had to kill her.
CHAPTER 26
I clutched Jenna with one hand, wrenching her toward me, and there was no regret or sadness in my heart. If anything, I felt a little disgusted, like I was killing a bug. This... thing was in my way. I had to dispose of it.
Magic surged from the soles of my feet, making me feel giddy and whole.
I saw her realize what was about to happen, saw the fear and despair that crashed over her. But once again, I didn't feel anything. Not pity or even satisfaction. I just wanted her gone so that I could get to Lara.
But before the spell could make its way to my fingertips, Jenna grabbed my face. "Sophie," she said quietly. Urgently. "Look at me. You're better than they are. You can fight them." Tears filled her eyes, and there was a twinge in my chest. Her fingers dug into my cheeks. "Please," she begged. "Soph, you're my best friend. I love you, and I know you. I know you can fight this." I screwed my eyes shut, even as everything within me ached to kill her. To destroy her, to destroy everything. Gripping the banister, I felt the wood crack and bend under my hands.
"Sophie," Jenna said again, and suddenly I could see her, sitting on her bed, laughing the first night I'd met her. I could feel her arms around me last night as I'd cried about the grimoire.
Jenna, I thought. I can't hurt Jenna.
Something inside me gave way, almost like a chain had snapped. Inside my head, I could hear Lara's howl of rage, and then I was crying and hugging Jenna so tight I was surprised she didn't snap in half.
"Oh my God, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," I told her.
She laughed, but it was a watery sound. "I told you you were better than them." In the distance, something rumbled, and I pulled back from Jenna to look at the broken stained-glass window. The day had gone even gloomier, and tendrils of fog were starting to curl around the window frame. "Let's hope so," I said.
"Mercer!" I turned to see Archer standing at the top of the stairs. At the same moment, Call burst through the front door.
I looked back and forth between them before saying, "Okay, I promise I'll explain more fully when we're not dead. But for now, I have my powers back, I know where my parents are, and we're going to the Itineris to get off this island. So let's go!" I don't know if it was my tone or the fact that the rumbling had gotten louder, but both guys leaped into action.
The four of us ran out of Hex Hall and into the pelting rain. The fog was rolling forward, and I stopped, raising one hand. Sparks shot from my fingers, and the fog rolled back, churning in on itself. A feeling of contentment flooded through me as I felt magic surging up from my feet. I flung another hand out, and the fog seemed to flinch in its rush to pull back. "Okay," Jenna said, tugging at my arm. "You're back to being a badass. Now, run."
From behind I could hear the front door of the house opening. I didn't look back. Cal, Jenna, Archer, and I sprinted out across the now-clear lawn, heading for the woods. I only dared one quick glance over my shoulder. Someone stood framed in the doorway. From his height, I thought it might be Nick. And then the figure leaped off the porch and began running toward us, and I knew it was Nick. Nothing could move that fast, not even a shapeshifter. As he got closer, I could see his face, those terrifying, blank red eyes. I'd been strong enough to throw off Lara's control, but it was obvious Nick was still very much her plaything. I threw out an attack spell, but he countered it with a simple wave of his hand.
I stopped, bracing myself, but he wasn't coming for me. Hands out, claws extended, he reached for Jenna. "No!" I screamed. And then everything happened at once. Jenna stopped to look behind her, Nick lunged, and suddenly Archer was between them, grabbing Nick's outstretched arm and wrenching it away from Jenna, just as Nick's other claw raked across Archer's chest. I saw both of them grimace in pain before sending another bolt of magic at Nick. This one hit him hard enough to blast him away from Archer, and he crumpled to the ground.
