Page 159 of Broken Souls

“Micha!” Lou gasps as she follows me. “What –” Her confusion disappears as she full on yells, “Dayne! Get off the toilet!”

I skid into the kitchen and spin towards Sau.

“What’s wrong?” she asks. She’s in the middle of pouring blood onto the counter. A dark energy shifts under the grain and eats the meal it’s given.

“Can you feel Varius?” I demand. When Khalid almost died a few months ago, she felt it. She’s connected to her children in some way I don’t understand.

“No. Why? What’s wrong?”

“Have you felt him in danger before?” The words are rushing out, almost quicker than my thoughts.

“Yes. Every time he was attacked.” She looks grim, and I see the realization in her eyes. “Get everyone down to the basement. I’m bringing out my monsters.”

I spin on my heels and grab Lou’s arm just as Dayne skids into the room. “What’s going –”

“Mole rat.” It’s our codeword for ‘you cannot help; you will get in the way; you helping will get us killed.’

He curses as I shove Lou towards him. “Take her to the basement and stay there. Do not open the door for anyone. I need to get my wand.”

“Micha!” Lou shouts.

But I’m already running through the living room to head upstairs, and Dayne is pulling her towards the basement. I need my wand. I’m useless without it. Charging into our room, I aim straight for the weapons cabinet. A movement outside catches my attention though. I turn my head as I continue to run, but then my feet root to the floor in horror.

“They have a witch!” I shout towards the open door as my stomach drops to my feet. Leno’s plants in the meadow in front of the house, our first line of defense, are curling up and dying, starting from the far end. Like a black wave of death, the spell rushes towards us. I spin on my heels, practically throwing myself at the cabinet. I yank open the doors to grab my wand.

Pulling up my shirt, I point the kezja horn at my stomach and give it a few rapid flicks while saying, “Elfesi navis.”

Warmth floods over my belly, protecting my skin. I can’t put a spell on my baby herself. She’s too young. The magic will kill her faster than Antonio can. I point the wand at my back and repeat the spell. My skin will be like stone. Not impenetrable, but it’s all I know. I haven’t bonded with the wand fully yet. I haven’t relearned all my spells.

“Shit!”

Grabbing a knife with my free hand –I don’t have time to load a gun– I run from the room.

Dayne meets me in the hall.

“You need to be in the basement,” I yell.

“Varius will kill me if I hide without you. If I’m dying either way, it’s going to be by your side.”

I grit my teeth. “Lou?”

“She’s in there with the dog.”

“Fuck. Come on.”

As we hurry down the stairs, I catch sight of Stormie’s back (Enoch’s fiance, who arrived just a few days ago), but she’s rushing towards the basement with Khalid’s girl. I turn for the kitchen with Dayne. My mother-in-law is still standing at the counter, but this time, both her hands are hovering over it.

“They’re killing all the pla–”

“Arise.”

My eyes widen as a massive praying-mantis, scythe-like claw rises out of the counter in a swirl of pitch-black ink. More of that ink pours off the counter on all sides, crashing to the ground and curling up like the mist at the bottom of a waterfall. Sau steps back as another claw shoots out of the counter. I want to keep staring, but my assassin training kicks in. Focus. React.Move.

“They have a witch. She’s breaking through the wards.”

She ignores me as she looks at Dayne. “Go down to the basement.”

“Not with Micha.”