A Spell of Time

  “What does Corrine say?”

  “She says it will wear off… Look, I’m probably just overreacting, okay? It’s been a long day. It will wear off.”

  He bent down and motioned to touch me, I guessed in comfort, but then stepped back.

  “Agh, I can’t do it.”

  “Don’t. It’s weird.” I breathed out and looked up at him, wanting to change the subject. “How did dinner go?”

  “It went all right,” he muttered, averting his eyes to the floor. “Kiev and I talked.”

  “Good.” At least it wasn’t all in vain.

  My thoughts drifted back to Vivienne. It had been a long time since Vivienne had experienced such an intense vision. The last had been when this island was riddled with darkness and the Elders’ influence. We’d lived without her ominous visions for almost two decades now. Her having them now again was perhaps the most discomforting thing that had happened since the twins were first kidnapped from Hawaii. Because Vivienne’s visions, although not always accurate, were rarely far off the truth.

  Derek too seemed lost in thought. I was sure that he was also feeling disturbed about Vivienne.

  The stress of the day was taking its toll on me. I yawned, rubbing my face with Derek’s big hands.

  “Maybe things will be clearer in the morning.”

  “Maybe,” he said.

  “Let’s get some rest,” I said, removing Ibrahim’s shirt from Derek’s chest and lying back in bed.

  Derek remained frozen to his spot in the corner of the room.

  “What?”

  “As much as you might think me a narcissist, Sofia, sleeping with myself is something I have never felt the urge for. I’ll rest in the spare bedroom next to Xavier and Vivienne.”

  He turned to leave the room. Despite the heaviness surrounding us, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the horror on his face at the notion.

  Grabbing his pillow and laying it on top of my own, I nestled Derek’s heavy head down against it. “Suit yourself,” I mumbled as he closed the door. “Just be grateful Mona stole a leg hair. Or it could have been Kiev dribbling on your pillow tonight…”

  Chapter 13: Caleb

  Hundreds of bullets rained down on me. If even one of them found its way into my flesh, I’d burn up inside.

  I’d been right about one of my legs breaking during the fall. My right arm was also dislocated. But I had no choice but to force my wrecked body to start moving as soon as I hit the water. The salt stung my singed skin as I swam deeper, away from the edge of the cliff. I looked back up toward the top of the cliff, my breath hitching just looking at the crazy jump I’d just taken. Then I caught sight of a black helicopter descending toward me.

  Ducking my head beneath the water, I strained my aching muscles to kick down further, deeper. If they lowered their cage again, it wouldn’t be difficult to catch me.

  More bullets fired into the water. I swam deeper and deeper, and although my lungs felt the strain and my head began to feel light, I couldn’t let up. I would hold my lungs until they burst if it meant avoiding death in their hands.

  As I touched the bottom of the ocean, it was also darker, and although the salt still stung, at least the sun’s rays reached me less down here. Parting seaweed, I swam with my stomach grazing the floor. I looked upward and spotted the shadow of the black wasp above the water, although now about two hundred meters away, not directly over me. I kept swimming, every few minutes glancing back up at the shadow which seemed to be slowly losing track of me.

  I waited until I was about half a kilometer away before giving relief to my screaming lungs. I allowed myself to surface for no more than ten seconds, keeping a close eye on the helicopter skimming the waves, before submerging myself again.

  The helicopter remained nearby for what felt like an hour. Although it drew dangerously close again, I managed to stay deep enough beneath the water for them to not notice me. Perhaps they presumed me dead. Whatever the case, I was just grateful they didn’t send divers down to look for me.

  I continued swimming for hours, far past the point where I thought my limbs would collapse. Only once the helicopter had completely disappeared did I resurface.

  Now that I resurfaced and felt the full force of the midday sun beating down against my skin, escaping the hunters felt like child’s play. My body was too weak to continue swimming so deep under water, and yet I couldn’t resurface and float without being roasted alive.

  I reached for my belt. It still had the small conch shell fastened to it. I removed the belt from my pants and fixed it securely around my neck. Then I ripped off my pants and, tearing the fabric, wrapped it around the top half of my body as best I could. Although the sun still dug into my flesh, the dark pant fabric at least helped to bear the brunt of it.

  I dove down to the sea bed again and plucked handfuls of seaweed. Resurfacing, I added this as an extra layer against the fury of the sun—however pathetic it was.

  My throat was parched, my whole body trembling.

  I lost track of time. I faded in and out of unconsciousness, my body being carried further and further out to sea. The water became colder and colder, indicating how much deeper I was being sucked. The ocean that had been my savior from the hunters was now my enemy. I didn’t know what nasty surprises it might hold within its depths. I just had to hope there were no sharks in these parts.

  * * *

  I woke up to the feeling of cords tightening around my body, restricting my breathing. I opened my eyes. I was surrounded by slimy brown rope, closing in around me and lifting me upward. I was too weak to struggle. My torn pants and seaweed slipped off me as I was pulled over a ledge and landed on a hard floor.

  “Hey. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

  I looked up to see a young man towering over me. A cigarette hanging from his mouth, he was dressed in faded dungarees stained with blood.

  I was on a small boat. Nets of fish writhed on the front deck, an assortment of hooks and fishing equipment scattered about. Spotting the dark entrance of a cabin, I dove for shelter from the sun.

  The young man followed me, leaning against the doorway. He grimaced as he looked at me.

  “Sweet Jesus, you’re a mess. You’re lucky I found you. You wouldn’t have lasted much—”

  My hunger took over. I launched for him, gripping his throat and pinning him to the ground. I tore through his jugular. My body heaved as I drained every last drop of blood from him. I gasped for breath, knocking him away from me and leaning back against the wall. I closed my eyes. His fresh hot blood felt like ecstasy flowing through my veins. The sensation drowned out my feeling of guilt.

  I stood up and searched the boat. I found a small bathroom beneath deck. I looked in the mirror. I barely recognized myself. Every inch of my skin was covered in swollen sores and blisters. I trusted that the blood would speed up my recovery.

  I sat back down, allowing myself a few more minutes’ rest as my body worked on healing itself. But then I got up. I had no idea how much time had passed since we’d been kidnapped by the hunters on the beach, but now that I was alone, I had to try to complete my mission no matter how doubtful I was about it being too late.

  I hurried to the control room. My eyes rested on the electronic navigation device. I studied the map. I wasn’t as far away from The Shade as I’d feared I might be.

  I examined the boat’s controls. It was a small vessel. I didn’t know how much fuel was left in it, but I had no choice but to attempt this now.

  Chapter 14: Caleb

  The vessel did end up running out of fuel, but thankfully I’d found a spare jerrycan below deck.

  It was close to the early hours of the morning by the time I arrived outside the boundary of The Shade. The boat shuddered as I brushed against the boundary, sending papers and equipment flying everywhere.

  I reached for the conch in my belt. Taking a deep breath, I blew into it. I wasn’t able to make out the sound, but if Mona was still on the island, she would he
ar it.

  I waited. And waited. I blew the conch again.

  After an hour of waiting, I thought she wasn’t going to turn up. Perhaps the spell had worn off the shell after all these years. Or she had come to the edge of the boundary, seen it was me, and returned, not being willing to give me the time of day. The possibilities were endless.

  But then she appeared out of thin air on the deck a few feet away from me, a dressing gown wrapped around her body, her long blonde hair tied up in a bun. I realized how strange I looked wearing nothing but my underwear. At least my wounds had mostly healed by now.

  “You?” Her eyes narrowed on me. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to make a trade with you. I have a piece of information that you need to know. In return you must answer a question.”

  Her lips parted, her brows furrowing.

  “You realize that I could blast you and this boat out of the water with a flick of my finger?”

  I nodded, trying to keep my expression calm, even as urgency coursed through me.

  “I don’t think you’ll want to do that until you’ve heard what I have to say.”

  “What?”

  “Once I’ve told you, you won’t be able to keep yourself from running off. I need you to answer my question first.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes darkening.

  “Look, vampire. You’ve just woken me up, drawn me away from my bed—”

  “As you did when you came to fetch me for Rose.”

  “You’re in no position to be calling the shots. Tell me your information first, then we’ll see what question you have.”

  I stood my ground.

  “No. You answer first, or I’ll not tell you the information I came here with.”

  She closed the distance between us, gripping my jaw.

  “I could torture the information out of you,” she hissed. “You do realize that?”

  I chuckled dryly. “I’m quite beyond responding to torture, believe me.”

  She glared into my eyes for several more minutes. I returned her gaze steadily. Then, breathing out in frustration, she said, “Well, spit it out.”

  “I believe you were inducted to become a Channeler. Correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “How did you… become one, without losing yourself in the process?”

  “That’s what you came all this way to ask me? Why, are you thinking to become a Channeler?”

  “Just answer the question.”

  Her brows furrowed, and she paused. “What makes you think I didn’t lose myself?”

  I stared at her, examining her heart-shaped face.

  “You just strike me as… different from any Channeler I’ve come across before.”

  She sighed and leaned against the wall of my boat.

  “You’re right. I am different. Though I did lose myself. I was just lucky enough to have someone to remind me of who I was. To save me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I had someone who was able to help remind me of who I was before I lost myself.”

  “Who?”

  “Someone I was—am—in love with.”

  “How?”

  She frowned. “I thought you said one question.”

  “Just answer me, will you?” I said irritably.

  “I… I honestly don’t know how he did it. I just somehow… saw myself in him. And then all the memories came flooding back in waves.”

  “Perhaps if I tell you the purpose of my question, you will better be able to help me,” I said after a pause. Although I hated the thought of baring myself before this stranger, I had to if I wanted a useful answer from Mona. “It’s about Annora. She’s lost herself completely. We were lovers and I’d do anything to get her back to how she was.”

  Mona looked intrigued.

  “You were in love with Annora, huh? Hm. Were you there with her during her induction?”

  I shook my head. “What goes on in the induction? What is it?”

  Mona’s eyes darkened. She shuddered, wrapping her night gown more tightly around her.

  “I don’t want to talk about it. I’m still recovering from it myself. I don’t want to bring those dark memories back. What I can tell you is… it’s carried out in the supernatural realm by someone called Lilith. If you’re interested to know more, I suggest you ask someone else about her.”

  I brought my fist down against the side of the boat. It rocked from the force of my blow.

  “There is nobody else I can ask.”

  Mona showed signs of irritation again.

  “Look, vampire. I’ve answered your questions. I’ve given you a lead. Now tell me what you came for.”

  I heaved a sigh. She was right, I supposed. At least I had a name. I made a mental note to raid Annora’s library when I returned. If this Lilith was such an influential person, perhaps she would be mentioned in one of Annora’s books.

  “Are Derek and Sofia still alive?” I asked.

  Mona’s eyes widened. “Of course. Why wouldn’t they be? You know they escaped—”

  “Listen carefully,” I said, stepping forward and gripping her shoulder. “What I’m about to tell you—nobody can ever know that you heard it from me. Nobody can know that I came here tonight to talk to you. Not any of the Novaks, nobody in The Shade, and certainly none of the witches. You must promise to not breathe a word to anyone.”

  “All right, but—”

  “Just promise me.”

  She hesitated, confusion lining her face, then reached out her hand for me to shake.

  “All right. You have my word. Just spit it out.”

  I took a step back. “Annora cast a spell on Derek and Sofia Novak while they were with us. A binding curse. They have seven days from when she cast the curse… and I have no idea when that was.”

  Shock turned to urgency. Mona swore and vanished in an instant. She would now do what she had to do.

  I returned to the control cabin, the stench of the fisherman’s corpse lingering in the warm night air.

  And now it’s time for me to return to my icy prison before my own seven days are up.

  Chapter 15: Derek

  I didn’t think it possible for that night to bring more surprises.

  But not long after I’d drifted off to sleep, the door to my room burst open. I jolted upright. The spitting image of myself stared down at me. The mist of sleep still partially upon me, it took a few seconds to remember it was Sofia. Mona hurried into the room after her.

  Sofia put my strong arms around me and shook me. “Get up,” she shouted in my deep voice.

  “What?”

  She hauled me out of bed and pushed me down to kneel on the floor.

  “Sofia, what is—”

  Mona gripped both of our heads and pushed us further down against the floor until our heads were touching it. Her fingers digging deeper against my scalp, agony erupted in my chest, as if my heart had just ruptured. A white mist fell over my eyes. I began coughing up blood. I heard Sofia choking by my side.

  What is she doing to us?

  I tried to look up at the witch, but as I forced my head upward, a burning heat seared through my spine. I collapsed again on the carpet.

  “What are you doing?” I managed.

  “Shh,” the witch hissed.

  A blinding headache came on. It felt like my brain was splitting in two. I didn’t think that it was possible to experience worse pain than what Annora had put us through in her study. But now it paled in comparison to Mona’s torture. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could maintain consciousness.

  My body was on the verge of giving in, when Mona finally released her grip on us and stepped back.

  Slowly gathering myself, I managed to find the strength to sit up. Panting, I stared from her to Sofia.

  “What was that?” I tried to shout, unable to contain my anger, but my voice cracked.

  Sweat shining on Mona’s forehead, she looked down at the two of us.
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  “Annora cast a binding spell on you.”

  I stared at her, my mouth dropping open.

  “What?” Sofia croaked.

  “When you were her prisoners, she bound you to her island. You had seven days to live since the day you escaped.”

  My lips opened, but no words came out. I stared at Sofia, whose shocked expression mirrored my own. That’s what the bitch must have done to us in her study.

  “H-how did you know?” Sofia stammered.

  “I… I just felt something was wrong. I suppose as the time grew nearer, the spell was gathering potency. I just felt it.”

  “I-is it completely off us now?” Sofia asked.

  “Yes. I think so.”

  I leaned back against the bedpost, trying to steady my breathing as the pain ebbed away from my body. I gazed blankly at the wall.

  “That’s what Vivienne was disturbed about,” I said quietly, more to myself than anyone else. “She had sensed something wrong too…”

  Silence filled the room.

  “Now if you two don’t mind,” Mona said, “I’m going to return to bed.”

  With a snap of her fingers she vanished from the spot. I should have thanked the witch before she left, but I was still too stunned to think straight.

  I looked at Sofia. “Do you remember how many days have passed since we were in Annora’s study?”

  Sofia squinted, biting her lip as she racked her brains. “It must have been about a week, or very nearly a week.”

  “That was close. Too close.”

  I should have suspected that Annora wouldn’t have let us get away so lightly. If it weren’t for Mona, we would be dead—yet another way we were now indebted to her.

  * * *

  The next morning, I woke early and went to our bedroom. Sofia still showed no signs of changing back. I shook her awake. She stumbled out of bed and looked in the mirror, breathing out heavily.

  “What if you’re stuck like this forever?”