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9

JAMES

"We know you can handle yourself," I say before Callie can get going with her reasons for following Will. I know she wants to and that it comes from a good place, but it really is safer if I go on my own. "But you should stay here. I'm the only one that can't be burned by him, and you, especially, are the most important person in this cave." I put as much feeling as I can into the words, hoping she understands how earnest I am.

She held my hand through all of the bad things I told her. She looked at me with love still once I was done. I have to let her know that I want to give that to her as well.

Indignant, she still tries to argue. "I'm not the most important person in this?—"

Hank interrupts her before I can. "For the purposes of this lockdown we're under, you are." He takes Callie's hands and turns her to look at him. "James is right. If he gets caught, or Will, we'll be devastated. But if you get caught or injured, our cause is lost. All these people will be hunted down."

All the fire goes out of her as she realizes we're right. Hank pulls her into a hug after her shoulders slump and her head hangs.

"I just want to help," she says piteously.

A pang of pain shoots straight through my heart. I know how she feels. I've wanted to help and failed so many times in my life. But this time, I can make a difference, just like next time she will. Part of being successful at this game is knowing when to stop and when someone else's skills are better suited to the task at hand.

"We know. But staying safe is the best way for you to help right now." I reach for her and tug her into my arms. Hank lets go of her, letting her into mine. I'm sure he doesn't want to let her go. I never do either, but now that I'm leaving, I want to say goodbye. "If Benedict was able to find us so easily, we don't know if our personal wards and charms so we can't be detected are actually working. But we know this place is," I assure her.

She nods. "I know." With those two words, the battle is won. But I don't feel particularly victorious. She's worrying about Will right now. Heck, I am, too. But we can't let that stop us from doing what we need to, especially when her uncle is out to get her the first time she makes any kind of mistake.

But I can't linger here any longer, as much as I want to stay in Callie's arms. She makes me feel better and more in control. Like the bad things in my past can simply stay there.

She tips her head up, her bottom lip glistening in the dim light. An invitation if ever I saw one. I lean in and press my lips against hers. At first, the kiss is soft, and caring. But she deepens it, pushing her body into mine. I cling to her tightly, putting all of my unspoken words and emotions into the one act. I know it's not much, but hopefully, it's enough to help see her through whatever is going on in her head.

We break apart, sad smiles on our faces. She must not like the idea of us parting any more than I do. But I have to do it. Will's my friend and we can't let him put himself in danger.

"Stay safe," I whisper.

"You too," Callie responds, then hesitates. "Bring him back?" The words are barely audible, almost as if she doesn't think I want to hear them.

But I do. None of us have said more than that we care for each other. But it's clear we feel more than that for each other. This isn’t just caring. This is love.

I don't linger any longer. If I do, then I might just cave and stay, and that's not fair to Will. He needs my help right now.

I set off, not even looking back lest my determination fail me. If I can do this, then perhaps I can prove to myself I'm not the same person from my past. I push the thought aside. It's more complicated than that, and I need to accept it.

Walking through the wards makes my skin crawl. After we visited the stones, I'd hoped to not have to leave again until time to face the king. Going out alone puts all of us at risk, but Will's enchanted. I can't leave him out here alone.

Once I'm well outside the wards and not going to accidentally set them off by doing magic, I pick up a fallen leaf from the floor and whisper a tracking spell I learned by heart. It's not very powerful, which is why I don't need anyone's help to do it. Mostly, it relies on the magic from the leaf itself. And it only works on people I know and care about, which is why it isn’t something our enemies can use against us.

A moment later, a faint trail lights up along the forest floor. Footsteps Will left behind. I almost sigh with relief. I half expected it not to work.

I set off at a brisk pace, knowing there wasn’t a moment to lose but not wanting to miss any sudden changes in the path.

The closer I get to Will, the surer I am that he's headed to his mother's house. I don't know why. Isn’t she back at the cave? Maybe something in the weird dream vision thing set him in that direction.

Warily, I leave the beach and head up the hill toward the neighborhood both Hank and Will grew up in. I've never been this on edge before in my life. I find myself checking every part of my surroundings, expecting some kind of attack. It probably won't come, but if it does, I want to be ready. Ish. I'm aware that in a firefight, I'll lose without the others.

I reach their street and take in the two homes in front of me. It's amazing how different two families on the same street could be. Hank's family home is neatly kept, a solidly upper-middle-class dwelling. His mom's car is even still sitting in the driveway, a shiny sports car only a couple of years old, judging by the plates.

And then there's Will's old home. My heart breaks for him as I look at it. Both of their childhoods were far from my own, but his more than Hank's. The house is falling apart, though I can see where he's tried to do some repairs over the years. It must be hard, with his mom so far in the bottle. I know he loves her and always will, but there's a small part of me that hates her for him. He's such a good man. A good friend.

He deserves better than this as his past.

As I move closer, the stink of dark magic permeates the air. I've experienced enough magic used with malintent to be able to recognize it when I come into contact with it. And this is definitely that. It smells almost like blood. Metallic. The same smell that had been so overwhelming at the circle the night before.

Pushing the front door open, I hold my breath and enter slowly. Once inside, I hear Will's voice and abandon my attempts to be quiet and sneaky. He cries out from the bedroom, sounding like he's in pain. The need to help my friend overrides every bit of caution I've been using up until now. Rushing up the stairs, I burst into the first room on the right to find him on his knees beside the bed.

And his mother on top of the bed, body rigid, eyes open and staring. Will cries out with clenched fists as he processes his mother's death. "I saw it happen!" he yells. "They showed me. I watched the light fade from her eyes."

Dread rushes through me at his words, and not just because of what they mean for him. No one should see their mother die the way the king no doubt killed Will's mom. But what hits me more than anything is that if he saw real events happening, there's a high likelihood that Hank did, too. I suppose, in a way, my vision had been real too, but only in that it had already happened. I got lucky in the respect that no one I love, other than Callie and my two best friends, live in this town.

I drop to my knees next to Will and put an arm around his shoulder. "I'm so sorry," I whisper. It's inadequate, but I'm at a loss for what else to say. The only thing I can do right now is offer him the little comfort I'm capable of.

After several minutes, he stands. "Will you help me?" When Will turns to face me, I see the tracks of his tears on his face, evidence of his grief. His cheeks are soaked, and his eyes bright red.

At the sight of my friend, all the anger I've ever felt towards his mom leaks away. She didn't deserve this. No one does.

"Of course. What do you want me to do?" It's dangerous for us to spend any more time in the house than we have to, especially when they know we'll be here. But I'll do whatever I can to help him.

"I can't leave her here like this." A sob bursts from his throat, and he breathes deeply until he calms down again. "I want to build a pyre."

We tend to follow the old ways with our funerals. A pyre is the most traditional way to cremate our dead, then we either put the bones out to sea or bury them, depending on the deceased's wishes.

"We can," I say. "But I think it might be better to do a water burial when the tide recedes."

He studies his mother for a few moments, trying to decide what she would have wanted, then nods. "Okay."

By the time we wrap her in a clean sheet and wipe her face and limbs, it's late afternoon. We sneak over to Hank's parent's house. They have a little fishing boat that will work perfectly. While Will kept watch, I run it down to the beach. On my walk back, I call Callie's cell and check in. Hank answers.

After explaining everything to him, he puts Callie on, and I repeat myself. She cries softly into the phone. "Bring him here to me as soon as you can."

"I promise."

I hang up the phone and enter the house through the back door. Will jumps up from the kitchen table. "Ready?"

"Yes." We haven't spoken much while getting everything ready, and I don't expect that to change. Will is grieving, and I don't want to intrude on that too much.

He walks into the living room and returns with his mother's body in his arms.

I grab one more thing and then follow Will down to the shore, where the boat waits for us. He places his mother's body as carefully as he can in the little dinghy. It's an awkward placement with the wooden seats, but it'll have to do. I wish we had time for something more elaborate, but this is for the best right now. If her body gets a pyre and a burial, then it can't be used against us.

Using a piece of chain from the garage, I tie a weight around her legs. Once her body finished burning and the boat burned, her bones will remain. Hopefully, this will help weigh her down so her bones won't float up to shore some days later.

We push the boat out to the water, then Will stands up and stares down at his mother.

"Would you like me to say a few words?" I ask. I have no clue what I'll say, but if he wants me to, I'll figure it out.

He shakes his head. "No. I—" He breaks off with a sob.

"It's okay," I whisper.

Will leans over, his hand blazing with fire, and touches his mother's cloth-covered foot. The fabric grabs the flames, and as they spread, we push the boat into the water.

By the time the current grabs it and pulls it out to sea, the boat and body are fully engulfed.

"I promise, Mom. They won’t get away with this. I’ll make them pay.." Will is the most distraught I've ever seen him. I wish Callie was here; she'd know just what to say to him.

We stand at the edge of the water for a long time, watching. Waiting. Paying our respects the only way we can. I'll make sure we organize a memorial for her once all of this is over.

Either way, it's done.

I put my arm around Will and turn him in the direction of the caves. We have a bit of a walk ahead of us, but I hope to keep him moving briskly toward the caves. But even so, the trip back feels like an eternity. Sadness weighs so heavily on Will that it feels as if it’s swallowing everything around him, including me. Several times I have to swallow the thickness in my throat just so I can remain strong for Will.

When we finally reach our destination, Callie and Hank are waiting for us at the cave entrance. Callie wraps her arms around Will, and they go lie down in the corner of the room with all the stones. Hank and I follow slowly as I fill him in on what happened.

"Let's lay down. Who knows what tomorrow will bring," Hank whispers when we're several feet from them. "We made a big pallet for us to share."

Will is curled up in Callie's arms as tears leak out of both of their eyes. Hank lays on the other side of his friend and throws his arm over both of them. I lay on the opposite side of Callie and do the same. We'll get through this, with time. Somehow.

And then, we’ll make Robert and his assholes pay.