Opening my eyes again, I found us standing on a beautiful beach. We faced the wide-open ocean. Behind us were tall trees lining the shore, and to our left were rock formations.
Mona headed straight for the line of trees and we followed her. As she was about to enter the woods, she jolted back, as though she had just bumped into something.
“They have extended the boundary,” she said, rubbing her head. “Let me try to break through this. I was able to last time I was here…”
We all stood back to give her some space as she began trying to break through. When she still hadn’t managed to after five minutes, we all knew that something was wrong. She turned around to look at us, her face ashen. “Ibrahim, Corrine. You can try to help me. But something has changed since we last visited here. Stronger reinforcements have been put up around this place.”
Ibrahim and Corrine walked forward to help her, but even with their efforts combined, they were no more successful.
I jumped as a sudden banging filled the air. It almost sounded like a gunshot and it seemed to have come from about a mile away.
Mona, Corrine and Ibrahim cast an invisibility spell over all of us again as we looked toward the sound. We began clambering over the rocks for a better view.
“Oh,” Mona said softly a few feet in front of me. I hurried forward to see what she had spotted. And then I gasped myself.
Standing in the middle of the beach beyond the rocks was the warlock we had just left behind in the werewolf realm. His wavy hair tucked behind his ears, he was hurling powerful-looking curses toward the boundary. It seemed that he had not noticed us yet. And we needed it to stay that way for as long as possible.
We needed to get inside the boundary quickly, and now it seemed that neither Mona, nor Corrine, nor Ibrahim would be able to pull it off.
Only I could.
We backed away from watching Rhys and leaned against the rocks in a row.
I stood up. “Corrine, can you remove the invisibility spell, please.”
“Why?” my mother and Corrine asked at once.
“Please just trust me that I’m asking for good reason.”
I was pleased when it was removed a moment later.
“You guys wait here and keep watch on Rhys’ movements,” I said. “I’m the only one who can get us inside. Give me about half an hour. I’ll do my best to return within that time.”
“But where are you going?” my mother asked.
“I need to try to attract someone’s attention on the inside of the boundary. I think it’s better if I just go alone. I’ll be heading along this beach—just try to keep Rhys away.”
With that, I began racing away before anyone could try to hold me back.
The truth was, I had no idea where to start. At least this side of the island was bordered by forests, but I couldn’t start yelling out in case Rhys heard me. No, I had to travel further away from here where I could raise my voice without fearing being overheard. Rhys was not a vampire or a werewolf, so I hoped that his hearing would not be sharp enough to pick up on me from miles away.
The sand whipped against my heels as I raced forward across the beach. I kept my eyes on the lines of trees, hoping that they would start thinning the further I ran. But they were showing no signs of disappearing. Heck, if anything, it appeared that they were growing thicker. My heart sank as the sand gave way to piles of rocks. I could still climb over them, but it would not be as fast as running across flat sand. Heaving myself up, I began clambering along, careful not to slip and injure myself in the process. At least there are no giant crabs.
Instead of trees to my left, now there was just a solid wall of rock—I was at the foot of a cliff. I craned my neck upward and paused for a moment. I moved along the rocks and tried to approach the wall of the cliff, but found that I met an invisible barrier about three feet away. I’d been hoping to climb up it. No chance. I had no choice but to continue forward in the same direction.
About a mile up, the rocks gave way to more sand—and yet more trees. The trees were no thinner than before, but as I stopped to listen, I could hear distant talking. There were people not too far away. I felt that I was at a safe enough distance to begin calling out. I crossed the sand and walked as close to the woods as I could without hitting the barrier and began yelling at the top of my voice:
“Hermia Adrius! I need to speak to Hermia Adrius!”
I yelled for what seemed like five minutes straight until my voice felt hoarse. I looked up and down the shore, hoping that someone would come. But nobody did.
Either nobody heard me, or they were ignoring me. I doubted the former was true—if I could hear them, they should have been able to hear me screaming unless the barrier was soundproof. But I didn’t see any sense in that—it would only block them off from warnings of an attack.
It seemed that there was only one way to find out.
Time to try a different tactic, I think.
“The Sanctuary is under attack!” I screamed, in as panicked a tone as I could. “The black witches are here! You are all in terrible danger!”
That should get someone’s attention…
And sure enough it did. Only one minute after I stopped yelling, an elderly-looking warlock emerged through the trees behind the boundary. His eyes were wide with worry as he looked me over.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“I am Rose Novak, an acquaintance of Hermia Adrius, and she will be furious with you if you do not escort me inside the boundary and bring me to her this instant.”
“Novak, you say? How do I know you are who you say you are?”
I was about to suggest that he just go and fetch Hermia and bring her to visit me, but I didn’t like the idea of losing sight of him in case he disappeared and decided not to return. I wanted to be taken to that witch, and I wanted it now.
“Do I look like a black witch to you?” I asked, cocking my head to one side.
He shook his head.
“Then what are you afraid of? I’m just a girl. A human. I am no threat to you.”
When he still hesitated, I lost my patience. “Look, warlock, I saved the life of the sister of your Ageless. The least you can do is let me inside.”
He still appeared doubtful, but to my relief, he stepped forward, crossing the boundary and grabbing my hand before pulling me inside.
He was looking at me as though I was about to wield some magic on him, or perhaps transform into a black witch.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I am who I say I am.”
“I will take you as far as the Adriuses’ palace. But I will not bring you inside. You will wait outside the gates.”
“Okay,” I said.
He caught my arm and we vanished. We reappeared outside an ornate set of gates, beyond which was a magnificent palace made of pure white marble.
“Wait here,” he said, looking at me sternly before he disappeared from sight.
I did as requested, looking up and down the quiet road. There were two other warlocks standing guard outside the gate who were looking at me suspiciously. I slipped my hands into my pockets, avoiding their gaze.
I was surprised when Hermia appeared before me only minutes later. I was expecting to wait much longer.
“Hermia,” I said. “I need your help.”
She raised a brow. “What’s wrong?”
“Firstly, you may or may not be aware that Rhys Volkin is outside on one of your beaches trying to break into The Sanctuary. I’m not sure what spell you put up around this place, but it’s doing a good job.”
From the look on Hermia’s face, it seemed that she had not realized that Rhys was attacking.
“Secondly, I’m here with my family, Mona, Corrine and some others. We need you to let us inside. Right now. I don’t have time to explain everything—it’s an extremely long story, but if you don’t let them enter, you are going to regret it sorely.”
“Mona?” Her mouth hung open.
I realized that I was talki
ng fast, and it was a lot to take in, but I felt impatient all the same.
“You remember what I did for you? I hope you have not forgotten already.”
Her eyes darkened. “Of course I have not forgotten. I will be forever in debt to you for what you did for me and my fellow witches that night.”
“Then just trust me on this and let my people inside. They are waiting on the beach, near one of the rock formations. And we need to go to the graveyard.”
“The graveyard?” she said, looking even more confused.
“Are you just going to stand here all day repeating my words? Please, hurry.”
Composing herself, she nodded. “Very well,” she said. “I trust that your people will do no harm to us. I will let them inside.”
I described where I’d left them as best as I could, and then I locked arms with Hermia so she could transport both of us there. We appeared on the beach, and sure enough it was the right one.
“They are all invisible,” I began, “but they should be waiting just over—”
“Rose!” My mother’s voice drifted across the beach—not from the direction of the rocks, to my surprise. It had come from the opposite direction. She no longer had an invisibility spell over her and I could see her racing toward us.
My heart sank, instantly assuming the worst: Rhys.
I’ve just about had it up to here with that warlock.
I would’ve taken great pleasure in tying him up and burning him at the stake.
“Where is everyone else?” I asked as she reached us.
“Rhys started causing problems,” she said. “I stayed behind on this beach to make sure someone was here when you came back. But everyone else is trying to head Rhys off just beyond those rocks over there.”
“We don’t have time to waste on that warlock now,” I said, grinding my teeth in frustration. “We need to get Mona and everyone else to the graveyard.”
“Without letting Rhys inside,” Hermia said, her face paling.
“Will you place an invisibility spell on the three of us?” my mother asked, addressing the witch.
“Yes,” Hermia said, and it was done a moment later.
I reached for my mother’s hand, then for the witch’s. We hurried across the sand and over the rocks.
A sandstorm had engulfed the area, particles of dust blowing in all directions. I shielded my eyes with my fingers to prevent more particles from flying into them.
“Everyone is in that?” I gasped.
“Yes,” my mother replied. “I don’t know how Rhys detected us, but he did. Mona conjured up this storm to make aiming curses more difficult. We need to somehow get everyone’s attention without attracting Rhys. We can’t afford to make him aware that Hermia is here with us or he will head straight for her.”
Hermia shuffled uncomfortably next to me.
“Hermia,” I said. “You stay here. My mother and I will go in and start trying to gather people, and then you must escort them immediately through the boundary.”
“I will wait here,” Hermia replied. “Just be careful. If I sense Rhys heading my way, I’ll have to re-enter the boundary without you. I can’t risk being caught and him gaining entrance to The Sanctuary.”
My mother and I both continued over the rocks and touched down on the sand on the other side.
The full force of the wind against my face now was dangerous. I had to close my eyes for fear of being blinded. There was a tearing sound next to me and I felt my mom’s hands around my head, tying a piece of fabric so that it protected my eyes, nose and mouth from the brunt of the wind. When I touched the cloth, it seemed like she had just ripped it off from the bottom of her shirt. It wasn’t easy to see through it, especially in this storm, but I could just about make out the ground a few feet in front of me. Everyone was invisible anyway—there wasn’t a lot to see. I would have to find my way by watching the ground for footprints. Of course my mother had her acute sense of smell. She could keep her eyes closed and still find people without problem.
“Hopefully vampires will detect your blood and start making their way toward us,” she breathed.
We waited in the same spot for a minute, but when nobody approached us, we had no choice but to move forward.
I kept my eyes focused on the ground in front of me as far as I could see, holding the fabric tight over my mouth so that nothing entered it.
I was glad when my mother let go of me so we could go in separate directions. It would make things faster.
The first footprint in the sand was only about two feet away from me. And more footprints were being created as I looked down. I heard heavy breathing—it sounded like that of a female. I reached forward and felt cold skin.
“Rose?” Ashley had scented my blood.
“Come with me,” I hissed.
I dragged her away and raced with her toward Hermia by the rocks, leaving her there and trusting that Hermia would do as my mother and I had requested.
Then I rushed back toward the stormy beach. The next footprints I spotted were large—clearly that of a man. I stopped in my tracks, holding my breath and listening for any clue as to who this was.
A hand reached out and touched me. It was warm. “Rose?” It was Micah.
I hurried back over with him to Hermia.
“Has my mother returned with anyone since?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied. “Quite a few. Your father, grandfather, and several others. She and your father are on the beach now searching for those remaining.”
“You remember Caleb, right?” I said. “You saw him with me that day you came for us on the boat. Has he returned?”
“I don’t think so,” she replied.
I backed away and moved back into the storm. I guessed that Mona must still be out here too causing this commotion. Perhaps she was keeping Rhys occupied.
It took me much longer to spot more footprints this time. Caleb should have sensed my blood by now. Why hasn’t he made his way over to me?
Finally, I noticed indentations in the ground about five feet away. Again, they were large, as Micah’s had been. These could have been Caleb’s. Or they could have been…
My stomach plummeted as the footsteps approached me. I barely had time to stumble back before a hand reached out and grasped my arm. The moment it did, the warlock appeared before me and I realized that I too had been made visible again.
Instinct took over and fire coursed from my palms, forcing him to shoot back away from me. His eyes sparked with fury and he glared down at me.
“Rose Novak.” As he raised his palms, I was about to hurl myself in the opposite direction when a heavy weight crashed into my midriff, making me fly several feet away from the direct aim of the warlock.
Arms wrapped around my body and lifted me off the ground. I was whizzed across the beach with lightning speed. The fabric my mother had tied around me flew off and I was forced to cover my eyes with my hands. But I didn’t need sight to know that it was Caleb. I knew my fiancé too well by now. His scent, the way he breathed… I could recognize his presence even in the darkest of nights.
I cast a glance over his shoulder toward where we had left Rhys. To my horror, he had begun following us. He was so focused on the two of us that he didn’t notice a green ball of fire fly toward him from his left—from Mona’s palms, I could only assume—until the very last minute, when he flattened himself on the ground just in time.
“Mona?” I called out. “Come!”
Caleb reached the rocks with me and I guided him to the spot where we had left Hermia. To my relief, she was still standing there waiting for us. I didn’t understand why I’d been made visible on coming into contact with Rhys, but I was grateful for it because it helped Hermia spot us faster.
She grabbed hold of us and vanished us away from the spot. We reappeared again behind the boundary, in a clearing near the woods, when Hermia left us again. I looked around to see the rest of our companions. Mona, thankfully, appeared about a minute aft
er us, Hermia and my parents by her side.
The invisibility spell over each of us had been lifted by now, allowing me to see the state of everyone. Mona looked in the worst state, her hair a disheveled mess, with cuts and burns all over her skin. Most everyone else just looked red raw from the sand, as I was sure I was.
Mona swallowed hard and turned her gaze on Hermia. “I don’t know what that warlock is going to do now. But mark my words, sooner or later, he will find a way to break into The Sanctuary. We need to head straight for the graveyard. And you must go to all lengths to make sure that nobody disturbs us.”
Chapter 20: Rhys
I had no idea how the white witches had managed to put such a powerful spell around The Sanctuary that even I was having difficulty breaking through it. I was on the verge of returning to get reinforcements when rocks crunched in the distance. At first I thought that someone from The Sanctuary must have been spying on me. Little did I know that it would turn out to be Mona and her companions.
Mona was smart to have figured out where I was headed. I couldn’t deny that about her. Now there was not even a shadow of a doubt that she was after Magnus just as I was. I could not allow her to reach him first. I did not know what she intended to do with him, but I assumed she meant to kill him.
I launched an attack, but as had happened too many times before in the past, Mona slithered out of my grasp. She was like a mosquito I never could manage to swat. But she had been lucky too often—partly due to my own weakness for her.
Now that she was posing a direct threat to Lilith, that luck would end soon.
After losing them, I forced thoughts of the witch out of my mind and focused on reaching our castle as fast as I could. Arriving outside, I stormed through the main entrance and searched for my aunt. I found her sitting in her room at her desk, a book open on her lap, though she did not appear to be reading it.
She looked up as I entered and shot to her feet.
“Rhys? What took you so long?”
There was relief in her voice, but also anger.
“There’s been a complication. Several complications.”
“What are you saying? We cannot afford complications.”