WARLOCK?!

Oh, Brother...

Chapter 11—Oh, Brother...

"Brant, you have to let us out. Please," I begged.

"I can't. I have a job to do."

"You don't work for Fallon. You're just under her control. Brant, I know you. You're not a bad guy. You're—"

"Shut up," he commanded. "You don't know anything."

"Brant—"

"Lennox, just stop. It's a...lost cause. You can't get through to him," Echo told me.

"I had to try something. I can't just sit here; I don't understand how you can."

"Brant won't be able to do anything as long as he's under Fallon's control. Fallon won't let us go because her need for revenge is far greater than her sense of guilt and regret. It's up to me to face my brother. That's the only way we'll get out."

"So until Theo gets here...we just wait?"

"Exactly. Why waste our energy on something that we know isn't going to happen? You and I need to be ready to face the real mastermind."

"But the real mastermind is Fallon."

"Yes, but...Theo is the one who helped her develop more power. And knowing him, he probably has more up his sleeve."

I rolled my eyes. "You warlocks are so—"

"Manipulative? Twisted? Confusing? Conniving? Take your pick. There are many things that we are," Echo said, smirking. "But I know that you're attracted to the danger."

"Not like this," I replied. "Not when things get dangerous to the point where I have to fight for my life."

"And you won't have to fight. I'll do my very best to protect you. I promise."

"Don't promise me that because you and I both know that this could end badly."

"Don't doubt me," Echo said. "I'm strong enough. I can handle this."

"I didn't mean that you're not strong enough to face Theo. I just think that we need to be careful."

"Being careful will get us nowhere."

"Whether you're careful or not, the outcome's going to be the same," Brant stated. "You two are not going to get out of here alive."

"That's Fallon talking through you."

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking at me with a blank stare.

"His real mind isn't aware of what's going on," Echo explained. "It's like talking to a voice recording over the phone. He's been programmed to hate us."

"Wow, you make him sound like a robot."

"He's Fallon's robot."

"Well, is there any way that we can reprogram him?" I asked.

"Not while we're in the magical hold," Echo replied.

"Did you create this magical hold?" I asked.

"Yes, I did."

"Isn't there like...a reverse button or something?"

"What kind of warlock puts a reverse button on something that's meant to hold crazy people?"

"I don't know. I movies, there's always a giant red button. And it seems stupid to the viewers, but it comes in handy for the main characters."

"This isn't a movie."

"I know, but...movies can be based on real life, right?"

"And sometimes it's the other way around. People base their lives on movies."