The Opal Witch

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Ward Breaker

Declan

Declan fell to his knees, his hands anchoring in the soil as he called on its magical properties.The ground and sky were anchors for magic, and the dirt of the forest was a hub of life and nurture. He let it build beneath his fingernails and settle in the creases of his palms before taking the magic into himself and flinging it around his Circle in a protective net. Collectively, they swayed from the immediate relief. The power pouring from the beam of light was painful, and their spells were useless without a spirit witch.

"Declan, I don't know how much longer we can contain this," Audra said, her expression grim as she steadied Ruby.

"What is it?" the stout girl asked.

"It's a ward breaker." Audra confirmed his worst fears. "The Godelieve estate is covered in wards that protect the property, but why would someone strike now? Why not when it was empty?"

He ignored her question as he paced around the burning tube, squinting into its center, searching for the figures he knew were powering the spell. Figures that would be dead within hours if they couldn't stop it.

"Declan," Audra snapped. Her hands settled on her hips and she tapped her foot.

"Could they be trying to get at us?" Kitty asked.

"No- it would've been easier to get us before we set foot on this property. We're safer here than anywhere else," Audra explained, tugging on her braid.

"They must be looking for something," Declan answered, his heart breaking as the outlines became clear. Travis and Hanish. They did not move, but their eyes and mouths were spread wide, their hands clasped between them. "And for them to act out so boldly, they've confirmed what they want is here."

"Travis," Kitty wailed as the tube pulsed and what Declan saw was revealed to everyone else. "Why is he in there? Get him out. Get him out!" She pounded on the invisible wall, tears turning the dirt on her face to mud.

Ruby wrapped her arms around Kitty and drew her away. The blonde girl didn't fight, but she gripped Ruby's black t-shirt and cried into the material. Audra grasped Ruby's free hand, and Brooke moved out of the shadows to rub Kitty's back. The gentle gestures surprised Declan. At some point, these girls had crossed the threshold from strangers to friends, and he'd missed it.

Crashing footsteps to the left made them all jump. Declan activated his cestuses and moved into a defensive stance in front of the girls, but he lowered his fists when Sara Elizabeth broke into the clearing.

"What the hell is going on?" she shouted.

"Where have you been?" Audra demanded.

"I went to the house to get Lux. I figured she'd want to help look for her best friend."

He whipped his head to peer behind Sara Elizabeth. "Where is she then?"

"She got all possessed and raced ahead of me. I thought she'd be here with y'all."

The light thrummed, and the shield flexed around it. Whoever had created this spell had been prepared for a fight, and it was winning. Most ward breakers were powered by the life force of one. This one drew from a Fae and a Guardian. It would take an Opal witch and a full Circle to extinguish, and they were down both.

"We need to find Lux," Audra said, her calm demeanor cracking as Hanish thrashed within the light. "With her, we might be able to get the boys out."

"What about Gideon?" Brooke spoke up. "He's an angel. Surely, his power is greater than the person who cast this spell."

"Brooke, go back to the house. They've seen the light, but they won't know the most direct path here. Guide them back. You're right, we're going to need all the help we can get," Declan directed before dropping down and digging into the earth to recharge his shield. "Girls, form a Circle and keep chanting the reversal spell. I don't think we can stop it from progressing, but if you can hold it steady, it should keep Travis and Hanish stable."

They nodded. Sara Elizabeth stepped forward and clasped hands with her sisters while Brooke bolted into the night. Her willingness to take action was at odds with the timidity she'd displayed just a few days ago.

Declan reached into his pocket and drew out a large, liquid filled marble. A whispered spell ignited the potion, and the orb glowed softly in his hand. "The thing I seek is hidden from view- brighten the path and lead me true."

The candescence grew and lit up the trees and bushes around him with a blue brilliance- the color clashing with the harsh white light from the ward breaker. But Declan wasn't seeking the things in the light. His answers lay in the dark spots. He swept the marble to the left and right, his steps slow and sure to not miss any clues. Behind him, amidst the glow, there were pockets of shadows.

Crouching, he examined the broken twigs and torn leaves. He followed the trail, leaving behind the resonant chanting of the Circle, their sweet voices rising into the stars and disappearing into the powerful hum of the spell that was draining the life of their friends.

The marble led him to the right. More evidence of her flight through the woods, but a strange pattern emerged. He could see where she'd run towards the Circle, her footsteps careless. He could taste her magic on the air; the sweetness settling on his tongue. But the small rips in the light became a large hole before jutting back in the opposite direction. Why would she come so far only to turn back?

Declan patted the ground the marble had revealed. Leaves pressed into the damp soil as if something heavy had lain on them. Had Lux fallen? His knuckles brushed against a hunk of rock, and he lifted it into the light. Something dark and damp coated the surface, and he knew before the metallic tang reached his nostrils that it was blood. Lux's blood.

You failed. You failed. You failed.

With a tortured groan, he bolted, his feet following the trail before him. His heart twisted and constricted in his chest. It was hard to breathe and run with such panic scorching his insides, but he wouldn't stop. A hundred years ago, he hadn't been able to end this madness. Tonight would be different. It had to be.