Gryphon's Glenn

Chapter Thirty-Four

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Something was terribly wrong. Bethany could feel it. She tried to focus on the spell she was ready to cast, but it didn't work. She closed her eyes, trying to figure out what she was sensing. That was when she knew.

"Derek..." She whispered. She'd seen him not long before, but somehow, Derek was in danger. She was certain of it.

She sat in front of her scrying mirror, knowing divination was especially strong on Owl's Day, and focused on her beloved friend. She could see him in the reflection. Bethany was horrified as she realized his hands were chained above his head. He was clearly injured, but he was alive.

"Oh God, Derek... Who did this?" She wondered aloud.

As the image of the only person in the castle who knew she was herself again faded away, Bethany began gathering ingredients. "I'll get you out of there... I will make them suffer for hurting you," she declared.

Beth... Don't, a voice whispered.

It was so faint, she barely heard it. Still, barely was enough. It made her freeze, because she hadn't heard that voice in a very long time. "Desmond?" She whispered, trying not to cry.

There was no response, but it didn't matter. She knew what she'd heard. Somehow, Desmond had reached out for just a moment to warn her that she shouldn't do something foolish.

"It's Derek, Des... How do I sit back and pretend nothing is happening when I know he's in danger?" She asked softly. Her heart was breaking as she thought about what her friend must be enduring.

"It's a trap," someone else said.

No one should have been able to reach her in her sacred space, so Bethany was startled by that. Then, she realized who she was looking at. "Marshall... What are you doing here, my sweet boy?" She asked her son.

He was obviously a spirit, but he'd turned just physical enough that she could see him looking back at her. "You need us, Mother... Father can't stay. He's too weak, and he doesn't ever leave Brittany for long... I wouldn't normally leave Vicky, but she's safe for now, and you need me more," he told her.

"I want to go to him," she admitted. "I can save him. I'm strong enough. They have no idea what I'm actually capable of."

"I know, Mother, but they're hoping you will do that. They're testing you. Derek is strong. He'll survive this. You have to let him fight this battle himself."

She wanted to argue, but she couldn't. Marshall was right. Bethany sighed. "Thank you for talking sense into me, sweet boy," she said softly. It was so hard to see him, but it was comforting as well. She'd been worried that the day the necromancer summoned him was the last time she'd ever see her precious son.

"My sisters will return to you tonight, Mother. When you're reunited everything else will fall into place."

"Tonight?" Bethany asked in surprise. "Yes, I should have expected that... It's a powerful day. Your uncle is likely to try something tonight."

"Mother..." he said softly. He looked at her sadly. "I love you, however, I don't want you or my sisters with me just yet. Please be careful."

"I will be, sweetheart," she promised.

He nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Go back to your spells. It's important you cast them before the sun sets," he said.

"I love you," she told him, knowing he was about to vanish. It made her chest ache, but it wasn't as hard as it had been the last time.