The Ambrose Beacon

  Chapter 25

  Tuesday Night, January 11th

  Vaughan was exhausted, but sleep wouldn’t come to him, no matter how many times he tried to close his eyes and empty his mind. A single image kept popping into his head of its own volition – the image of Mr. McCallister’s lifeless body lying peacefully on his own bed. They had returned their neighbor’s body to his home and called the police to report that he had died in his sleep. Vaughan had heard his father and Larry discussing the fact that the police would have questions about Mr. McCallister’s death, but they hadn’t had time to stay at the house and answer them. It had taken nearly two hours to return his body home, retrieve Mr. Holt’s car, and get back on the road. And the time they lost was time that Louis and Billie were being taken further away from them.

  He couldn’t believe that Mr. McCallister was gone. The teacher had been one of the few people at Vaughan’s school who had taken an interest in him as a person, even if his personality had often seemed gruff and uncaring. Vaughan had respected him, but more importantly he had liked him. And now he was dead. He had died defending Vaughan’s family and their friends, and Vaughan felt at least partly responsible for the teacher’s death. If it hadn’t been for him and his family, Mr. McCallister would still be living happily in his home, completely unaware of the Ambrose family’s troubles. Vaughan wished that they had never gone to their neighbor’s house for help. But he knew that wishing something didn’t happen couldn’t change that it had.

  Vaughan looked at the front passenger seat, where Ms. Waverly sat looking out the front window. They were riding in Mr. Holt’s small SUV as it followed the one that had belonged to Mr. McCallister. Mr. Holt drove silently, staying a comfortable distance behind the larger vehicle in front of them. Vaughan guessed that the reason for Mr. Holt’s silence was exhaustion, but he didn’t think Ms. Waverly was silent for the same reason. He had heard how Mr. McCallister had died – saving the life of Ms. Waverly, and he knew that she had heard the same thing. He couldn’t imagine the guilt that she felt, knowing that another person’s life had been given to save hers. He hoped that she was able to push it aside, since he was certainly glad that she had lived, and he knew that the others traveling with him did, as well.

  He felt something nuzzle against his hand and looked down to see Aidan trying to push her nose under his hand. He smiled down at her and absently stroked the top of her head before looking over at Dinah, who was fast asleep next to him. He heard her softly snoring and envied her the ability to sleep. He thought of Louis and Billie and hoped that they were alright, and hoped that they would be able to catch up to his younger siblings and their abductors before it was too late. But he also hoped that Louis and Billie would do something to save themselves. Louis was powerful, and Vaughan hoped that he would figure out a way to protect himself and Billie, or even to escape on their own.

  He leaned his head back and tried to clear his mind of thoughts of his younger siblings and of Mr. McCallister. After several minutes, he was finally able to drift into a fitful sleep to the sound of the car’s engine and the rhythmic thumping of the windshield wipers.

  Louis looked out at the falling snow, and the never-ending landscape of trees and mountains. He didn’t know how long they had been driving on the winding mountain roads, but it felt like hours. He wished that he could sleep, but in spite of the exhaustion that made his body demand that he close his eyes, his mind refused to quiet. As he looked over at Billie sound asleep next to him, he thought of the strength that he was going to need if he stood any chance of saving them both. Even a few moments of sleep would help him regain some of that strength. But sleep just wouldn’t come.

  Louis looked back out the window again, and wondered how much longer it would be until they reached the sacred spot in the mountains. He wondered what would happen when they got there, what it was that he was expected to do. But most of all, he wondered what he was going to do to get him and his little sister through their ordeal alive. He looked over at Billie again, and silently cursed himself for allowing her to come along. He should have forced her to stay behind, and she would have been safe. But secretly, he was glad that she had come. Sitting alone in the back seat of a strange car as it carried him to an unknown fate would have been unbearable. Having Billie beside him gave him a measure of hope that they would both survive for some reason. Nothing could ever keep her spirits down, and that constant strength was contagious.

  Louis sighed as he thought of the rest of his family and their friends, especially the ones that he had left behind in the forest when he and Billie had been carried off in the arms of the demon. He didn’t know if they were even still alive. As he remembered Vaughan’s unmoving form and the stillness of Ms. Waverly as she lay sprawled in the snow, Louis suddenly felt very small and afraid. Tears welled in his eyes for a moment before spilling down his cheeks. And he let them fall.

  He wallowed in self-pity for a few moments before he felt someone staring at him. He looked up and saw a pair of eyes staring back at him from the rearview mirror. He recognized the pale blue eyes of Anna as she looked back at him, though only her eyes could be seen. He could see something in those eyes, but he didn’t believe that what he saw could really be there. There was pity in Anna’s eyes, and unless he was mistaken, Louis also saw concern. He was struck again by how unusual this woman seemed to be, how the look in her eyes was completely at odds with her actions. He wondered again why she seemed to be so conflicted. She seemed to genuinely care about what happened to Billie and him. But he didn’t like her watching him cry. It made him feel weak, crying in front of her like that.

  Louis angrily wiped away the tears from both cheeks and stared back at Anna with defiance. She watched him for a moment more and then looked away, but the expression in her eyes hadn’t changed. In spite of the concern he had seen there, he promised himself at that moment that he would never again let any of them see him cry.

  Cole sat in the back seat of Mr. McCallister’s SUV, with Larry sleeping and snoring loudly next to him. His father was in the front passenger seat, and Uncle Harper, the only person who knew where they were going, was driving. As Cole looked out the window on his left, he wondered if he was looking at the same scenery as Louis and Billie. He hoped that they were both alright and not too badly frightened by their ordeal.

  He felt something brush against his mind, and recognized the strange thought pattern instantly. The leader of the wolf pack was reaching out to Cole to let him know that the pack was nearby and keeping pace with them as they moved further into the mountains. Cole sent them back an urgent request that they return to the woods near the house. The pack had already suffered too much protecting him and his family, and he didn’t want more of them to be killed.

  The images that he received in return made it clear to Cole that they would not honor his request. They were going to stay with Cole and the others until they got Louis and Billie back. Cole asked again for them to stay away for the safety of the pack. He knew that they could only lose so many of their members before the pack would be doomed.

  The leader of the pack sent him an image in response that surprised Cole. He saw a single wolf that he hadn’t seen before, but that he knew instantly was a member of the pack. She was sleeping in a den, with seven young pups curled up next to her. The leader’s message was clear. He was telling him that no matter what happened, the pack would survive.

  And then he sent a second image that Cole didn’t understand at first. It was an image of the wolf pack standing next to his family and their friends. He frowned in confusion as he tried to think of what it could mean, but then he understood. Cole and the others had become members of the pack. Their fates were now intertwined, and each of the wolves would give their lives for any of the new members of their pack. Cole was deeply touched by what the wolves were telling him, and he tried to think of something profound that could translate to the way the wolves thought.
But all he could think of was to say thank you, so that was all he said. The leader of the pack acknowledged his thanks briefly before breaking off their connection.

  Larry let out an especially loud snore at that moment, and Cole chuckled as he looked over at the big man, asleep with his head back and his mouth open. Cole saw his father look back and smile at the sight of his partner before shaking his head and returning his attention to the windshield. Cole knew that Larry had the right idea. It was smart to sleep while they could, and if they could. Cole closed his eyes and was asleep in moments.

  Jerry listened to the rhythmic sound of Larry’s snoring and knew that he should be doing the same thing. The only one in the vehicle that didn’t need sleep was Harper, and Jerry knew that he should take advantage of the time they spent driving to recharge his batteries. But he couldn’t force himself to even close his eyes. He kept thinking about the sacrifice that James McCallister had made, and he felt guilty for asking for his neighbor’s help in the first place. He knew that the older man would still be alive if Jerry and the others hadn’t made their way to his house. But he also knew that they had had no choice, and that James had offered his help willingly.

  And then he thought of his two youngest children, and tears filled his eyes. He would do anything to see them returned safe and sound. Nearly losing Vaughan had been unbearable. It had felt like something had been slowly tearing his heart from his body. It had been the same feeling as when he had watched his wife slowly waste away. He would do everything humanly possible to save them. Or inhumanly possible, he thought with a chuckle.

  He knew that he stood no chance of sleeping, so he shifted in his seat to a more comfortable position and sighed. And then he felt something warm on his wrist and looked over in surprise to see Harper’s hand holding it. Just as Jerry was going to ask his brother-in-law what he was doing, he felt a surge of warmth flowing into his arm and throughout his body. It only lasted for a few moments, but when Harper pulled his hand away, Jerry felt completely refreshed, as if he had slept for hours. He looked over at Harper in surprise and his brother-in-law smiled.

  “Thank you,” Jerry said softly.

  Harper’s smile widened and he nodded once before returning his attention to the road and his hand to the steering wheel. Jerry was surprised at the warmth in Harper’s smile, but it also made him sad. He was rarely the recipient of one of Harper’s smiles, and for that there was a part of him that was grateful. When Harper smiled, he looked exactly like Arianna.

  The snow intensified as they drove deeper into the mountains, increasing to the point that all Louis could see when he looked out the window was a sheet of white. He looked over at the clock in the center of the dashboard and was surprised to see that they had been driving for nearly five hours. He had finally managed to fall asleep, but only for what seemed like moments. Instead of rejuvenating him, he had woken from the brief sleep feeling more tired than before.

  The car began to slow and he saw Billie stir next to him. She moaned softly as she yawned and looked through the windows at the landscape around them.

  “Where are we?” Billie asked her brother softly.

  Louis waited to see if either of the front seat occupants would answer, but they ignored Billie’s question. “I don’t know,” Louis answered her just as softly. “We’ve been driving for almost five hours.”

  “Five hours?” Billie asked, incredulous. She leaned in and whispered in his ear, “How will Daddy and Uncle Harper find us if we’ve been gone for so long?”

  She looked worried as she pulled back and stared at him, but Louis saw no trace of genuine fear in her eyes. Again, he was glad that she had come with him. If he had been alone, he would have been terrified.

  Before he could provide some kind of reassuring answer, the car came to a stop, skidding briefly in the snow. Their driver shut the engine off and then opened his door, letting in a blast of cold air. Louis pulled his sister closer to him and they huddled against each other for warmth.

  Anna opened her door and got out before walking along the side of the car. Louis and Billie watched her as she reached the back and then opened the rear hatch and began pulling several objects from the cargo compartment. They were both trying to figure out what she was doing, but neither of them wanted to ask. After removing what they guessed was the final object, the rear hatch closed and then Anna moved over to Louis’ door.

  “Let’s go,” she said flatly after opening his door. She only looked briefly at Louis and then quickly looked away.

  “Where are we going?” Louis asked, refusing to move.

  “You’re going where I take you,” Anna responded without emotion and without looking at him. “Do as I say, or there will be trouble for both of you.”

  Billie nudged him and when he looked over at her, she nodded. Louis sighed before getting out of the back seat and stepping out into the snow. His foot sank several inches into the deep snow which reached the bottom of the open door. It was fine and powdery from the frigid air and swirled around him as his feet disturbed it. He looked over a short distance from the car and saw a large sled like the ones that dog teams pulled laying in the snow. It was covered in several blankets and furs, and the large man that had been driving was attaching a harness that ran from the sled to his body.

  “Get on the sled,” Anna said to him as she grabbed two of the fur blankets from the sled and held them.

  Louis obeyed, and climbed onto the front of the sled, dusting the snow from his boots before he sat down. He looked back and saw Anna gently lift Billie from the back seat of the car and then walk the few feet over to the sled. She placed Billie on the sled behind him, and then carefully arranged the blankets around them, making sure that both of them were covered completely. He wondered if this was another sign of the conflict that he sensed within Anna, but thought it was just as likely that she was only protecting her cargo to deliver it safely.

  He felt Billie wrap her legs and arms around him and then felt her face against his shoulder. He was glad for the warmth and huddled his face down into the blanket, leaving only his eyes exposed. He looked over and saw Anna put on a pair of snow shoes, and then signal the man harnessed to the sled. He had already put on a pair of his own snow shoes, and he began walking toward the tree line at the far end of the clearing in which the car had parked. Anna moved beside them, appearing to struggle somewhat to keep up with the rapid pace that the large man set. Within moments, they had crossed into the woods and the falling snow came to a stop in the densely packed trees.

  Louis looked behind him and saw the shape of the SUV that had brought them so deep into the mountains. It grew smaller as they moved further away. As he watched the snow drifting to the ground, he prayed that it would let up. Every flake that fell would cover their trail and make it that much harder for his father and uncle to find them.

  Jerry watched the snow fly past as their vehicle wound its way along a windy mountain road. They had been on the smaller road for nearly an hour, and Jerry hoped that it was the last leg of their journey to find his children.

  “How much further is it?” Jerry asked as he watched Harper expertly take each turn.

  “We’re nearly at the point where we’ll have to leave the car,” Harper answered. “It shouldn’t be more than a few minutes. And the good news is we’ve made up some of the time we lost.”

  “Good,” Jerry answered simply. Every minute they lost only decreased their chances of catching up to his children’s abductors.

  “Look!” Cole shouted suddenly from the back seat as he pointed at the windshield.

  Harper slowed the vehicle down as the rest of them saw what Cole had pointed at. Covered in the snow ahead of them was the shape of a large black SUV, parked in a clearing surrounded by trees. It looked like it was where the road ended, and that the rest of the journey would have to be on foot. Harper pulled their vehicle next to the large black one, and Cole looked over
and saw Jason’s smaller vehicle pulling up beside them as he and the others got out and walked over to the parked vehicle.

  After a moment, he felt Dinah walk up next to him and saw her brush some of the snow from the back window and look inside.

  “It’s completely empty,” she said as she walked up and stood next to her older brother again. “But I’m positive this was the car that I saw Louis and Billie in.”

  “There are scratches on this side that match the paint on MrCallister’s car,” Larry shouted from the other side of the vehicle. “This is the one, alright. But where did they go?”

  “They’ve headed for the trees,” Harper answered as he opened the back of the larger SUV that they had brought. He reached in and pulled out the several sets of snow shoes that they had brought with them and began handing them out to everyone. “And we’d better hurry after them.”

  Harper and Vaughan didn’t take snow shoes and Cole declined them when offered. Instead, he walked over to stand between the two cars where no one could see him. There were the brief sounds of wet cracking and grunting before a large black wolf came trotting over to them through the snow.

  “Is that Cole?” Tina asked as she stared at the wolf, who sat down next to her. To her credit, she didn’t appear nervous at all and even reached out to scratch the fur behind its ears.

  “Apparently, there are other forms that he can take,” Harper said with a chuckle.

  Cody and Aidan both walked up to the wolf that was Cole and they took turns sniffing at each other before the two dogs sat down next to him.

  That form fits you nicely, Cody said to Cole in his mind. Cole could hear the amusement in his voice as he added, You should wear it more often. He looked over in the direction of the trees and said to Cole, Harper is right. They have gone off into the trees. There’s not much of a trail left because of the snow, but it’s there.

  How long have they been gone? Cole asked as he looked over at the trees.

  Not long, Cody answered simply. Cole realized as Cody answered that the nature spirit’s sense of time was not much better than that of the wolves. His estimate could mean as little as an hour or as much as half a day.

  Cole relayed the message to his uncle, and saw him nod in response. The others finished securing their snow shoes to their feet. “Is everyone ready?” Harper asked. When everyone nodded or voiced their assent, he said, “Alright, let’s follow Cole and the dogs.”

  Cole stood up and followed Cody and Aidan as they jogged toward the trees. They neared the thickly wooded area at the end of the clearing, and he picked up the scents of Louis and Billie. The smells were still strong enough that he was certain they had passed by the same spot no more than an hour before. He suddenly felt several voices reach out to his mind at the same time and looked behind him to see seven wolves jogging to catch up with them. He sent a greeting to them and repeated his thoughts of gratitude, which they acknowledged as they spread out and then sat down under the canopy of pine trees to wait for the human members of their party.

  Cole loved the form that he had taken. He didn’t feel the obvious strength that he had when he had taken the form of the bear, but the sleek, efficient form made him feel like he could run for hours. And as he reached down and snapped his jaws on a large branch, he was rewarded with the sound of it snapping in half. He knew that the bones of the demons would snap almost as easily when he was able to sink his teeth into them.

  I told you, Cody said with the same amusement in his voice that Cole had heard just moments before. That form suits you.

  The others caught up with them in the trees and Cole started jogging again, keeping the scent of his two youngest siblings in his nose as he moved through the trees. Cody, Aidan and the wolves ran beside him and behind him, and Cole truly felt for the first time what it was like to be in a pack. It felt powerful, being with a group that shared the same goal. And it gave him hope that they might be able to overcome whatever stood in the way of finding Louis and Billie.

  Louis shivered as they left the protection of the trees and headed toward a large grouping of boulders. The stones sat in a huge clearing that was ringed by trees on all sides. Louis could see two men standing near the large stones, along with at least two dozen of the larger demons like the one that had nearly killed Vaughan. As they moved closer to the stones, he recognized their shape as a familiar one. He had seen pictures of a grouping of stones that looked just like this one, but he couldn’t remember the name of them. He remembered that they were somewhere in England, but little else about them and why they were important.

  “Those rocks look like Stonehenge!” Billie said excitedly from behind Louis, reminding him of the name. She was quiet for a moment before adding quietly, “I feel funny when I look at them.”

  As Billie said it, he realized that he was feeling something strange too. A current of excitement ran through him whenever he looked directly at the grouping of rocks. It reminded him of the feeling he got on Christmas morning, just before they were about to open their presents. The rocks seemed to be calling out to him in some strange, silent way. He wanted to run up to them and walk between them, even run his hands along them.

  His attention was reluctantly pulled from the stones as the two men walked up to meet Anna and the man pulling their sled. Louis felt a surge of anger as he recognized the man that had led the demons’ attack against them the night before.

  Tim Matheson smiled as he made eye contact with Louis, and though it sent a chill of fear down his spine, he refused to look away. He stared back at the evil man, who only smiled wickedly in response. Another man walked slightly behind him, and Louis recognized the man as one of those who had stood with Tim the night before. He still had the uniform on, the one that Larry had identified as Animal Control. His eyes darted around the clearing, as if he was expecting an attack at any moment. His nervous glances were frequently directed at the demons behind him, as well. He seemed out of place next to the confident Tim, who seemed to ignore everyone around him arrogantly, as if they were beneath his notice.

  “You found them,” Tim said as he walked up to the sled and stared down at Louis and Billie with a smile.

  Louis felt Billie’s arms tighten around him, but he guessed that her reaction was more one of anger than fear.

  “I told you I would,” Anna answered simply. She glanced down briefly at the two children, but refused to meet their eyes.

  “And what of the others?” Tim asked as he made eye contact with Anna.

  She stared back at him defiantly before answering softly, “I took care of it, as I told you I would. They won’t be able to easily follow us.”

  “Yes,” Tim answered her as a slight flare of irritation at her insolence crossed his features. “Well, let’s hope that you’re right. We both know the consequences if you’re not,” he added with a wicked smirk.

  “Get on with it,” Anna said through clenched teeth, ignoring his comments.

  She glanced briefly back at the children, and Louis saw the same look of concern in her eyes that he had seen in the rearview mirror. But Louis had seen what the woman had done to Tina when she had defied her. Whatever hold Tim had over Anna, it was a powerful one. She would obey him, no matter what inner conflicts she was facing.

  Tim looked down at Louis and Billie and told them, “Get off of the sled.”

  The large man that had been pulling the sled removed the harness and then shifted into his natural, beastly form before joining the others nearer the ring of stones. As Louis stepped off of the sled, he noticed that the creatures kept glancing nervously behind them, and he was sure that it was the stones that frightened them, though he didn’t understand why. But if the demons were afraid of the stones, he was pretty sure it was a good thing for him and Billie.

  Louis waited until Billie stood up next to him, and then took his sister’s hand. Anna reached down and zipped up Billie’s coat and then stood up and carefully i
gnored them, as if she hadn’t just done something to help her.

  “Let’s go,” Tim said as he gestured in the direction of the stones.

  Louis and Billie looked at each other for a moment and then obeyed his command, walking slowly through the deep snow in the direction Tim had pointed. Tim, Anna and the other man filed in behind them, though Louis tried to ignore their presence as he and his sister walked hand-in-hand.

  “Hurry up,” Tim said as he shoved at Louis’ back.

  Louis fell forward in the snow, accidentally pulling Billie down beside him. He looked back at Tim with venom in his eyes, but didn’t say anything. Billie was not nearly as tame. She grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at Tim’s face, pelting him with the cold, powdery stuff.

  “You’ll pay for that, you little rat!” Tim hissed as he reached for Billie.

  “Leave them alone,” Anna said as she stepped in front of him. “Pushing them will not get them to the stones any sooner. If anything, it will only delay what we must do.” She looked back at him defiantly, and the anger on his face was terrifying, though she stood her ground. “You’re acting like a fool, Tim,” she told him. “And I think we both know the consequence of that,” she added mockingly, using the words that he had used against her just moments before.

  They faced each other in silent fury for a moment, and Louis swore that he could see waves of dark energy surrounding each of them. He was convinced that there was going to be some kind of battle between them, but after a moment, Tim backed down. Whatever was motivating Tim, it was something that he feared enough that the anger he felt at Anna’s interference was pushed aside.

  Finally, he looked down at the two children. “Get up, now,” he said softly, but with menace in his voice.

  Anna turned away from him and picked Billie and then Louis up from the snow and returned them both to their feet. She carefully brushed the snow from their jackets and deliberately ignored Tim, which caused the veins in his forehead to bulge with anger.

  “Do as he says,” Anna said to the children softly. She gave them a slight, awkward smile and then stood up.

  Louis looked up at the angry face of Tim, and knew that Anna was right. There was no point in fighting for the sake of fighting. Until he could come up with some kind of plan, it made sense for them to do as they were told. He hoped that such a course of action could buy them some time. He knew that his father and the others would come after them, but it was up to Louis and Billie to give them as much time to catch up as possible.

  Louis grabbed his sister’s hand and they started walking again, heading in the direction of the ring of stones. As they walked to within a few yards of them, Louis could feel the current of excitement that ran through his body grow stronger.

  “The funny feeling in my stomach is getting stronger, Louis,” Billie said as they stopped and stared up at the giant stones that towered nearly twice as high as the large demons that stood several yards away.

  “I know,” he answered as he stared at the grassy clearing between the stones. “It makes me feel funny, too.”

  Not a flake of snow had fallen in the clearing, though it was completely open to the sky. The snow continued to fall around it, but some force kept it from the stones and the space between them. He heard footsteps behind him and looked back to see Tim standing behind them, with Anna and the other human standing next to him.

  “Go on,” Tim said as he gestured toward the stones. “Go inside.”

  Louis looked at the stones, and then back at Tim in confusion. “I don’t understand,” Louis told him. “What am I supposed to do?”

  “You go into the stones,” Tim said condescendingly. “And whatever is supposed to happen, will. Now get going.”

  Louis looked at the stones again and felt that they were beckoning to him, asking him to walk within them and feel the source of their power. He didn’t want to obey Tim. He definitely didn’t trust him, and was suspicious of anything that Tim wanted him to do. But he felt no sense of malice coming from the stones or the clearing beyond them, and believed that there was something he needed to do within the ring. Louis walked forward a few steps and Billie walked with him, both of their eyes locked on the stones ahead.

  “Not her,” they heard Tim’s voice say from behind them. “Just you, boy.”

  “I’m going with him,” Billie said defiantly as she looked back at him. She held onto Louis’ hand with a fierce grip and stepped closer to him and stared up at Tim with fire in her eyes.

  Tim reached out and took hold of Billie’s arm and tried to pull her away from her brother. Billie tried to yank her arm away from him, but he was too strong.

  “Let go of me!” she cried.

  Tim pulled harder and Louis felt his sister’s hand pulled from his grasp. “Stay still you stupid little girl!” Tim hissed at Billie as he pulled her to him, her feet kicking in empty air as he picked her up.

  “Billie, it’s okay,” Louis said to his sister soothingly. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”

  Billie looked at her brother for a moment and then nodded. “Put me down, you jerk,” she yelled up at Tim.

  Tim threw her down to the snow and looked at her in contempt, but didn’t hurt her. Louis knew that he was using Billie as a bargaining chip. Tim knew that Louis would do as he was told as long as it meant his sister wouldn’t be hurt. And he was right.

  Louis smiled at his sister one last time and then turned around and walked toward the stones. The falling snow lightened the closer he got to them, and as he closed to within a few feet of them, he could hear a low humming sound coming from within each one. He stopped just before the edge of the ring and looked at the stones that stood on either side of the wide opening that he had walked up to. As he looked closer at the stone on his left, he saw a swirling design of symbols glowing along its surface. The symbols looked like they had been carved into the stone itself, but when Louis reached out and ran his gloved hand along it, the surface was completely smooth. And the stone was warm. It was warm enough that he could feel it through his gloves, though it wasn’t warm enough to burn. But the most unusual thing about the stone was that it seemed to pulse beneath his hand, as if it had a heartbeat. Louis could feel his own heart beating in his head and within a few seconds, the pulsing of the stone had matched it.

  “Don’t just stand there petting the rocks!” Tim yelled from behind him. “Go inside! Now!”

  Louis looked back at him, but his hand lingered on the stone. He could see the evil man standing menacingly next to his sister, and he reminded himself that he was Billie’s only hope of safely getting through this. He had to do as he was told.

  Louis looked back at the space between the stones, and saw a strange shimmering of the air. He reached out to touch it, and felt a slight tension as his hand passed the spot where he had seen the distortion. He jerked his hand back as if it had been bitten, though he admitted that there had been no pain, only a slight tingling that he had to admit felt rather pleasant. He looked back at Tim in confusion, but the man only nodded his head angrily and waved his hand forward, telling Louis to keep going.

  Louis turned his head back and closed his eyes before stepping forward. He felt the same tension, the same tingling sensation running through his body as he passed the spot where he knew the shimmer had been. And as the tingling ran through him, he heard what sounded like voices murmuring softly to him. The voices were welcoming and encouraging. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he got the sense that they wanted him to be there, that they were happy that he was there.

  As he stepped fully into the circle, his eyes remained closed. But his other senses were nearly overwhelmed by the complete change around him. He felt warmth on his skin, so warm that he started to feel hot in his thick winter jacket. But it wasn’t just the warmth. The inside of the circle smelled different – like flowers, grass and the freshness of spring. He felt a breeze brush his face as the song of
singing birds reached his ears from a distance. He kept his eyes closed for a moment, sure that when he opened them, the spell would be broken and he would see the cold blackness of a winter evening. But when he opened his eyes, he saw that he was mistaken.

  The sun shone brightly on a beautiful, grass-covered clearing that stood within the stones. Louis looked up and saw a blue sky filled with puffy white clouds, and when he looked down he saw that the lush, green grass grew nearly up to his knee. The clearing was dotted with dozens of different types of wildflowers that grew through the grass, and when Louis looked at what lay beyond the stones, he saw an alpine landscape on a sun-drenched spring day, not the wintry scene that had been there just moments before. Nothing looked as it had before he had stepped into the clearing, and when he looked behind him, he expected to see no one standing there. But as he looked back, he saw Billie, standing there in her winter clothes and staring back at him. She waved at him and smiled, and he returned the wave.

  But it wasn’t the sight of Billie that surprised him the most. Where the large demons had stood, there were only hazy, shadowy shapes in their place. Anna and the animal control officer stood behind Billie, but their forms looked slightly faded, and Louis could almost see through them. And Tim Matheson looked the most unusual of them all. His form seemed to shift between that of the sneering man, the shape of a large demon, and then nothing more than a shadow. He shifted so often that Louis started to feel dizzy when he looked at him for too long, so he returned his attention back to the clearing.

  The heat became stifling as he walked toward the center, so he took his jacket off and carried it in one hand. The sense that he was welcome between the stones grew stronger the closer he got to the center of the clearing. But the voices had stopped as soon as he had passed the stones themselves.

  He reached the center of the clearing, and could feel the power that seemed to gather there. The tingling that had run through his body as he approached the stones was now a vibration. It reminded him of the feeling that he got when he held onto the magic. It also felt ancient to Louis, like it had been there since before humans, before anything had walked on the earth. And it pulsed, as the stones had, though the pulsing was far stronger than it had been when Louis had felt the stones. It reminded him of the pulse that would pass through his body when Vaughan played his music too loud. It was like the feeling of the bass pounding through his body, though its beat was gentler and slower.

  He waited for something to happen, something momentous that would signify his accepting the power of the Solas. But nothing happened. Louis could feel that there was something there, just beyond his reach, but he got the distinct impression that it was not for him. Whatever it was, it was ancient like the pulsing that passed through his body, but also different. It was something intelligent, something truly alive and that knew he was there. But it did not come to him, and Louis knew at that moment that he was not the Solas. He realized that his uncle and the others had been wrong about him. And he also knew that if it wasn’t him, it had to be one of his other siblings.

  He turned back around and saw the shifting face of Tim filled with surprise and then anger as he realized the same thing. They had wasted so much time and effort on getting Louis to this spot in the mountains, and he wasn’t even the one. Louis knew that his ability to protect Billie had been severely diminished. And he also knew that his own life was in even greater danger now. If he wasn’t the Solas, Tim Matheson had no use for him.

  Louis tried to think of something that he could do to get him and his sister away from Tim and the demons, but he could think of nothing. But the first thing he had to do to protect his sister was to get closer to her. He started walking back toward her and suddenly there was the loud popping noise that he recognized as gunfire. He looked over in surprise and saw several people running from the cover of the woods, along with a pack of wolves, with Aidan and Cody running beside them. Louis threw his jacket on as quickly as he could, and heard Tim swear in frustration as he picked Billie up and held her to him.

  Louis was afraid for his sister, and he ran toward her as fast as he could. He felt the same tension that he had felt before as he passed again through the line of stones. And then the cold winter air hit him and nearly knocked his breath away as he stumbled the last few feet to stand near Tim.

  “He’s not the one!” he heard Tim scream at Anna, but she was ignoring him, her attention focused on the people running toward them. He reached for Louis and picked him up before yelling something at the demons in a growling, guttural tongue. “Hold them off while I take them to the gate!” he yelled at Anna and the other man as he ran past them.

  Louis looked over his shoulder as the huge demons moved to intercept the people running toward the stones. He recognized the faces of the people instantly. His family and friends had finally come for them. But they were already too late.