Legacy of the Necromancer [Legacy, BK1 - Completed]

Chapter 9.3

I stumbled out of the portal, catching myself with the staff Suon had gifted me with a gasp. Feeling very tired and drained, despite how ready I'd felt on the other side, I tried not to collapse. John fell to the grass next to me with a soft thud and a groan. We'd come through in one of the pastures, just as Poe and I had pictured it in my mind. The sun was bright overhead and the early summer heat was already building.

In the distance I could see people running towards us, and one of them was Avery. Her excitement and anxiety filtering through the connection made her hard to miss.

We need to close the portal. Poe's voice sounded strained in my mind. I turned my attention to the portal as John picked himself up. The task of closing the link between the two worlds was much easier than it was to create. The summoning circles closed in on themselves, folding over and over in their intricate patterns until there was nothing left.

"Ezra!"

I turned as Avery slammed into me. She gripped at my clothes, holding me as tight as she possible could. I'd just only managed to move Poe out of the way in time.

"I thought they'd killed you," she sobbed into my shoulder.

Pain that had nothing to do with the physical kind, shot through my chest. "I'm okay," I tried to comfort her. "I wouldn't let them do anything like that. Where's Liam, did he make it back safe, too?"

She stepped a little bit. "Yeah, he's here. Caught a blast to his shoulder, but he'll heal."

"Who's that with you, Ezra?" Dad's voice was stern, and only slightly winded as he and Lyssa caught up with Avery. His eyes had fogged over white with the Stanwood power, his hands held out ready to cast.

"This is John, he helped me escape from the warehouse." I watched Dad's expression change from one of cautious relief to one of fear.

"You're a witch?" Dad asked, making the simple question sound like an accusation.

John was very still next to me and Avery, his features still pale from the trip through the portal.

"Yes, sir."

I pulled free from Avery's grip and stepped in front of John. "He won't hurt us!" In fact, he's had plenty of opportunities to kill me and instead, he's saved my life more than once. He is not our enemy."

Lyssa looked at me like I'd grown another head. "He's a Witch! Of course he's going to hurt us. It's just another one of their tricks to find us. To kill us all!"

John looked more frightened than a rabbit looking at a greyhound as he stared at my father. "I promise, I swear it on the Earth, I mean you no harm." His voice shook a little.

"I don't believe you," Dad said. "Too many of your kind have broken their promises.''

"Please, just hear me out, then you can do whatever you want with me," John said solemnly,

I didn't think it was possible for Dad to frown any harder. Poe struggled in my arms a moment, working himself free from my grip. He gave a soft caw and hopped over to John's shoulder.

"See," I said, pointing. "Poe trusts him. Isn't that enough to at least listen to him?"

The moment stretched out as Dad studied John, watching Poe's reaction to him. Finally, he lowered his hands completely, releasing his hold on his power.

"Fine. Bring him inside and we'll talk, but no magic. If I sense even so much as a sliver of power from you, I will not hesitate to protect my family. Do you understand?" Dad's glare at John made me shiver.