Emberlight

17. Third Time's Just Charming

Kelsey

"Stay here," Odin said after the second shriek.

As if... Kelsey thought, grabbing onto his arm before he zoomed forwards. Her stomach sunk and her short, black hair whipped around as the two of them soared past the roses and onto the field.

Odin halted before the horse chestnut and steadied them both. "Oi! Don't."

"I'll follow anyway," she replied.

"Kelsey!"

"Odin. I'm an Ember too. I can help."

"Sure thing. Go make sure the inside of the bunker is safe," he said, twisting away.

Another deep cry of anguish wiped the frustration from Odin's face. Kelsey grabbed on again anyway, and he propelled them into the forest and towards the deep cries. When he slowed down, he no longer seemed to care that she had tagged along.

Finn lay on the floor covered in an inky substance with a red sheen. A nasty gash ran across his upper arm, scarlet blood weeping down him, blending with the ink.

Kelsey's stomach began to churn. It wasn't ink. It was witch blood. It didn't make her as lightheaded as Finn's cut, but she still sweated all over. She tried not to look directly at it.

"Get it off me!" Finn yelled, his anguish churning into irritation. He wiped inky lines onto the grass, but the black stuff was thick. It soaked into his shirt and drizzled into his wound.

"Why are you on the edge of the barrier?" Kelsey said, recognising the thick branches from last night. They reminded her of the mystery man.

"Get this off me!" Finn snapped at his brother, drowning out Kelsey's words.

"You'll be fine, buddy," Odin said. He gripped his brother's arm and examined the cut.

"Don't touch me!" Finn shuffled back. "I'm covered in it."

"I know," Odin replied, grabbing his arm again. As the ink imprinted onto his skin, it shimmered red.

"You know?" Finn growled. "Yeah, you always know. What did you see from me this time? Did you see the man who attacked me? Tell me what you saw!"

Odin swallowed. "Nothing, mate. I wasn't concentrating at the time."

"Come off it. You saw him," Finn snapped, standing up without his brother's help.

"See who, mate?"

Finn gritted his teeth and muttered, "I went into the forest to cast a..."

"A calming spell?" Odin finished for him with a snigger. "Seriously? That worked a charm, didn't it?"

Finn glared at his brother in a meaningful way. Neither spoke a word, until Odin let out a short, dark chuckle. "Real nice, bro. You want to say that out loud?"

Kelsey rolled her eyes. Telepaths.

"Look, no cuts, no chance of getting tainted by dark magic if you think it works like that," Odin said holding out his wrists. "It looks like someone thinks that, but they'll be wrong. Now tell me who did this to you."

Finn directed his glare at a patch of moss as if he was trying to burn a hole to bury himself in. Odin's eyebrows twitched, and he wiped his hand over his face, wiping away his reaction. Kelsey guessed he was reluctantly transmitting his answer to his brother.

The quiet gnawed at her.

"A scarred man? Silver lantern?" Kelsey asked, and both brothers whipped their heads to look at her. Their matching hazel eyes were wide with shock.