“You won't kill me.” Willow took the sword that Lil had sported and wielded it in one hand. Though it was heavy, she showed no signs of struggle.
“Why wouldn't I? I just killed your brother to keep Lil from using the Mystics to get home!” Eilith bellowed, flashing her double set of razor-sharp teeth. “I have everything I need from you and Bray. Your blood, mixed with Mystic water, and dirt from Bray’s world, on his shoes, compiled into a potion has given me access to the other world.” She charged at Hudson, snapping her teeth at him like a wild beast in the night, attacking her prey.
Hudson jumped back to avoid her bite, his arm striking out to stab her with the dagger. He couldn’t pierce her without feeling her teeth against his flesh.
“Do you really think you have a fighting chance?” Eilith’s right hand shot up, her nails sparking bolts of lightning, shooting electricity at Willow.
The first bolt missed Willow, but the second bounced off the sword and into Arianna’s necklace, turning it to ash and burning her flesh with heat. Arianna’s eyes widened in shock.
Willow jumped to her feet and dodged two more bolts of lightning, somersaulting out of the way. She kept away from her brother, letting Lil try to save him. Eilith didn't let up. With the sword in hand, Willow pushed back at Eilith, causing her to duck and disappear as she went in for the kill. “I will make you pay for this!” Willow shouted at the mist in front of her.
Eilith rematerialized behind Willow. “Is that so?” She gripped Willow by the neck and lifted her off the ground. Willow dropped the sword, her feet kicking at air, as she clawed at Eilith’s grip, her lungs gasping for breath. Both hands came up to Eilith's, trying to pry them away.
“Let her go!” Arianna plunged the dagger into Eilith’s back.
Willow’s body hit the ground with a thud, and she coughed and heaved until she could breathe normally again. “Where'd she go?” The mist evaporated, and when the air cleared, there was no sign of Eilith anywhere.
Arianna stood over Willow, shaking her head. “Probably back to the castle. She's got my dagger,” she said, remembering how she shoved it into Eilith's back. It wouldn't have killed her, but it slowed her down.
Rawlie smiled. “Remind me to get you a new one.” He bent down to Willow, brushing the hair out of her eyes. “Are you okay?”
Willow stood and walked through the darkness toward the two figures on the ground. “Jamie?” Her voice caught in her throat.
“Willow?” he asked, confused.
“Oh, Jamie!” She bent down, grateful he was breathing. She squeezed Jamie tightly, and his arms encircled her. “Thank you,” she said to Lil.
Lil nodded, pushing herself up off the ground. It was a welcome feeling to know he was alive, breathing with a beating heart. Lil’s white dress was covered in mud, dirt, and blood. It was disgusting. She glanced down before looking up at Hudson and found him staring at her.
“When did you have time to change?” He gave her a weak smile. “What you did back there was brave.”
“Or stupid.” She didn't regret saving Jamie's life, but she had no idea how she was ever going to get back home.
“I might be able to help,” Jamie said. “I haven't jumped into the spring yet.”
Willow laughed, ruffling the hair atop Jamie's head. “Usually you don't go swimming in the spring. You can put your hand in the water.” She kissed his cheek.
Jamie walked through the pillars, and the Mystics did not stop him. He wondered why his entrance was different from Lil’s, but he didn’t ask. Jamie bent down and ran his hand through the water, smiling as the slight blue and purple ripple flowed from the water through his arm. He stared at the surface, his eyes widening when he saw a young girl with open eyes, holding her breath. A few bubbles slipped past her lips. She didn’t open her mouth, but he could hear her words.
“Run!”
The words startled him, not only their tone but the voice. It was Arianna’s, he was certain of it. He blinked, the vision fading quickly before his eyes. “I don’t understand.” He glanced at his sister and friends a few yards away. He walked through the pillars back to the others. “What do you think I can do?”
“I've no idea,” Hudson said. “I still don’t know what my gift is.”
Jamie reached out to touch Lil. “I want to send her home.” He ran his hand over and across Lil's arm, imitating his sister’s actions. Nothing happened. Lil hadn't moved between dimensions. He was slightly disappointed.
Willow walked over, placing a hand on her brother's back. “I don't think that's your gift. It has to be something you want above all else.”
“Oh,” Jamie said. A part of him didn’t want Lil to leave. He was growing to love her almost as much as Willow. “I miss Mom and Dad,” he confessed as he walked toward the spring.
“I don’t even think the Mystics have that power,” Willow said, kissing her brother’s cheek. There was no moonlight and few stars bright enough to shine on them.
A single tear trickled down Jamie’s cheek. “Not even for one day?”
“I’m sorry.” Willow wrapped her arms around him.
“We should go now, before Eilith returns,” Hudson said.
Rawlie drove hard on the road, whipping around turns and doing his best to get them to the safety of their home before Eilith spotted their car. Dawn broke hours ago. Willow and Hudson managed a few hours of sleep on the drive back. Lil, however, was exhausted.
The top of the convertible was up. They were crammed inside, but the car offered them minimal protection. The sky filled with low hanging scarlet clouds, so close it was as if the passengers could almost touch them. “It's going to rain,” Rawlie said, the vein bulging on his forehead from frustration.
Lil glanced beside her in the backseat at Hudson. “Rain?” She didn't see the big deal in a little weather.
“There's rain and then there's weather brought on by Eilith,” Hudson said. He gazed out the window. “If we're lucky, it's just a little drizzle. At least we're not in the forest anymore with the weather moving in so soon.”
The rest of the drive was silent. Rawlie concentrated on the road and the incoming storm. The wind was kicking up when he pulled into the sanctuary by the main doors. Everyone climbed out while Hudson unlocked the doors, granting access just as the first drops of red fell from the sky. It looked like blood.
“What the hell was that?” Lil asked, wide-eyed. Hudson secured the door and led them through the protected hallway past another set of doors and into the main area of the sanctuary.
“A storm brought on by Eilith,” Hudson said.
“The one Rawlie worried about earlier?” Lil guessed.
He nodded. He didn't have to say anything else; by now, Lil figured Eilith spent her waking moments tormenting them.
Lil headed to the training arena to put the sword and sheath away before glancing at Hudson and the others standing around the sanctuary. “I think I'm going to head up to bed for a bit.” Lil pointed to the stairs.
“You’re not the only one.” Rawlie struggled to keep his eyes open.
Lil headed up the staircase for her room.
“Wait up.” She heard Hudson's voice and spun around to see him climbing up after her. She gave him a curious look, wondering why he had stopped her from going upstairs.
“Don't open your window. Okay?”
Lil smiled. “Obviously. It's raining blood.” She rolled her eyes, mocking him. “I wasn't planning on it.”
“I'm serious,” Hudson said. He gently gripped her arm. “Eilith has ways of getting to people. During these types of storms, she searches them out, hunts them. It's when she’s strongest.”
Lil’s smile faltered. “Oh, okay. I won't. What do you mean she hunts them?” Her stomach somersaulted.
Hudson gestured for them to finish the walk upstairs, and he followed her to her room. “The sanctuary has protections on it. Sometimes during a storm she has a little more power or we have a little less ability.” He tried to explain. “Just keep inside and leave the windows shut and you'll be fine.”
“Right,” Lil said. “Thanks for the warning.” She reached for his hand, giving it a tentative squeeze before letting go. “I'll see you later.”
“You kissed me earlier, out by the springs.” He smiled the boyish smile that made Lil uncomfortable. She'd never been good with boys, always awkward and pushing them away.
“
You
kissed
me
,” Lil reminded him. She hadn't the courage to kiss him, even when she wanted to, though she wasn't about to admit it to him. That would be a disaster.
“Oh, that's right. I did do that.” Hudson grinned, remembering the kiss. “Should we try that again?” He tilted his head to the side, watching her. He was close enough to reach out, wrap his arms around her waist, and draw her in for another kiss, but he didn't move.
“Yes, I uh, yeah, you kissed me,” Lil stammered.
“You said that already.” Hudson reached closer, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. “Are you nervous?”
Lil's heart seemed to pound outside of her chest. “What do I have to be nervous about?” She swallowed the lump forming in her throat.
Hudson stayed close and smiled. “You tell me. I don't bite.”
Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes darkened. The room felt ten degrees hotter. “That's good to know.” Lil itched the back of her neck with her hand, though it wasn't bothering her. It was more of a nervous gesture, a habit she'd acquired when she didn't know what to do with her hands. Just like one would play with their hair when flirting, but her awkwardness made her flirting ridiculous and uninviting. “I'm uh, going to lie down,” she said. “I'll see you later.”
“Sleep well.”
She closed the door, leaving him out in the hallway and waited a moment, hearing his footsteps retreating down the stairs, before she walked toward the bed. Her heart was pounding like the rain outside. She glanced toward the window, seeing it stained red, and groaned in disgust. Rain should not be crimson. Only in stories about plagues did you hear about such unnatural things. Lil pushed back the covers and climbed into bed. She turned her back to the window, wishing she were home in her own bed, safe and sound.
Willow glanced at the doorway of the study as Hudson walked into the room. “Admit it. You're glad she's still here” she said. Willow kept her arm around Jamie, not wanting to let him out of her sight. Now that he was alive again, she vowed not to let anything ever happen to him again. Even if it meant keeping him under lock and key.
“Aren't you?” Hudson asked.
“I am grateful. We'll find a way to get her home. Somehow.” Willow had no conceivable thought on how it was possible. She'd lost her own abilities, and the doorway that Bray had come through was a one-way ticket.
Hudson sat down on the sofa. “What if I don't want her to leave?”
“Why wouldn't you want her to go home?” Willow asked, glancing up at him, interested.
“I like her, okay.” Hudson rolled his eyes. “It's not a big deal, Willow. Don't make it into one.” His cheeks burnt.
“Why? Because she looks like me?” Willow teased him.
“Don't flatter yourself. She's different,
nicer
.”
Jamie climbed out of Willow's arms and came to sit down on the sofa beside Hudson. “I like her too.”
Hudson glanced at Jamie with a smile. “I think we mean in different ways.” He ruffled his hair. “How about we go into the kitchen and start making a nice lunch so when she wakes up she'll feel at home?”
“You never offer to do that for me!” Willow said. She stood and headed for the kitchen. She wasn't tired. Not after everything that happened. She'd also caught a few hours of sleep on the drive back. Willow walked into the kitchen and sat down on one of the stools at the counter beside Arianna.
“I’ve been thinking about Lil, trying to come up with how we can get her home. What if we visit Morgan?” Arianna asked.
“What about her?” Willow's head shot up and a shiver crawled through her body. She wasn't comfortable speaking of Morgan, let alone visiting her.
Jamie frowned, confused. “Who's Morgan? How can she help us?” Jamie asked as he opened the pantry.
“She's the higher Fae. The leader,” Hudson said, looking at Jamie. “How does he not know this?”
“I tried to protect him, okay? Is that such a terrible thing? To protect my younger brother?” Willow’s voice held a hint of annoyance with Hudson. “It's not a big deal. Arianna’s right; if Morgan can help, Rawlie, Arianna, and I can go speak to her. You and Lil can stay with Hudson, watch over this place.” The last thing she wanted was for Jamie to follow her to Morgan.
“What?” Hudson shook his head. “No way. You need Lil.” He stared at her hard. “The power she has now, we can't just leave her here to babysit. She’s valuable. If someone gets hurt, she can help more than the rest of us combined.”
Willow pointed at Hudson, warning him. “Fine. She comes, but you and Jamie stay.” She was not taking no for an answer. She didn't want to risk her brother's life again. Jamie almost died by the sacred springs. The last thing she wanted was to put his life in danger again. She couldn't imagine a life without her little brother.
“I don't need a babysitter, Willow.” Jamie stalked over to his sister. “I'm not a kid anymore. I’m ten! You should treat me like an adult.” His eyes narrowed and he tried to look menacing.
Willow tried not to laugh at the look on his face. She reached out, pulling her brother into her arms. “I don't want anything to happen to you,” she whispered, kissing his forehead. “You're growing up, but you're not quite there yet. Give it time, okay? You won’t be a kid forever; enjoy it while you can.” It was something she hadn't been able to do.
Jamie rolled his eyes and pried himself away from Willow. “I'm not a kid.” He stomped his foot, and his cheeks reddened. “I came with Hudson and Rawlie to save you. They trusted me enough to bring me with them.”
Hudson cleared his throat. “That was all Lil and Arianna. I wasn’t involved in Jamie joining us on the rescue mission.”
“Come on,” Jamie whined. “You have to let me come with you. It’s not fair! I want to see the Fae. I didn't even know they existed. I read about them once in a book, but I thought they all died when Eilith came to power. Can I go please, Willow?” he begged.