Fight With Me

Chapter 7

Alaric's POV

I watched in disbelief as Hope shattered a tree in half with her bare hand. The realization hit me hard: the new monster had likely taken my girls.

"K... Hope," I said, kneeling beside her, trying to keep my voice steady. "We need to move inside. We need to figure out what took them so we can get them back."

She didn't respond. Her breathing was sharp, quick, but her gaze didn't leave the darkness beyond the trees.

"Hope, let's go!" I urged.

Finally, she pushed herself upright, wincing as she flexed her hand. "It'll heal soon," she said, more to herself than to me. I nodded and we started walking back toward the school.

Inside, Dorian was waiting by the entrance. "We need to start researching immediately," he said, glancing between us. "Do we have anything to go off? We don't know what this monster is."

I tried to recall the brief glimpse I had of it as it vanished into the woods. "It looked like a deer... or a stag, but it had wings and talons," I said. My voice sounded steadier than I felt.

"You're telling me a flying deer grabbed the twins?" Dorian raised an eyebrow, skepticism plain on his face. Hope's struggle to stay calm was evident behind me.

I crouched slightly beside her. "Hope, why don't you get your hand checked, then join Dorian and me in the library?"

She nodded wordlessly, heading off to the infirmary. I exchanged a look with Dorian. "What happened to her hand?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Slammed a tree in half. No big deal," I said lightly, though the weight in my chest made my voice feel heavy.

Dorian's eyes widened. "Right. Well... library it is."

⸻

Hope's POV

The nurse examined my hand and confirmed it would heal on its own, though it would take at least twenty-four hours. She handed me some ibuprofen for the pain.

Before heading to the library, I paused outside my room. Something drew me toward Josie's space. The door was unlocked, so I stepped inside. The emptiness hit me immediately; her room felt too quiet without her.

I moved to her desk and spotted one of her hoodies draped over a chair. It still smelled like her. Without thinking, I grabbed it and pulled it over my shoulders, letting the scent anchor me.

I walked toward the library, where Dr. Saltzman and Dorian were already flipping through books.

"Have we found anything?" I asked.

"Yes," Dr. Saltzman said, holding up a book. "It's called a Peryton, a hybrid stag-bird creature."

I leaned closer. "Do we know how to kill it?" My throat felt tight.

Dorian waved another book. "To kill a Peryton, you destroy its shadow with a blessed weapon. The more it kills, the stronger the shadow becomes. It can even take human form after enough kills."

Dr. Saltzman nodded. "If it just came through Malivore or was resurrected, its shadow shouldn't be too hard to kill."

"But how do we find it and them?" I asked. "I could try a locator spell, but they're probably cloaked."

Dr. Saltzman and Dorian exchanged a look. Then his expression brightened. "Wait! A pink crystal visual teleport. You could visualize the twins and appear where they are. You'd see them, but you couldn't touch them and you couldn't be harmed while there."

"Do we have a crystal?" Dorian asked.

I remembered Josie had mentioned hers before. "She does. I'll grab it and call Aunt Freya for the spell."

I rushed to Josie's room, rifling through her things with a gnawing guilt that melted the second I found the crystal in her nightstand. I grabbed my phone and called Aunt Freya.

⸻

Freya's POV

"Freya, dinner's ready!" Keelin called downstairs. I grabbed my phone and stepped outside, surprised by the sudden buzz.

It was Hope.

"Keelin, I'll be right back," I said. Stepping aside, I answered. "Hey, sweetie. What's going on?"

Her voice trembled slightly, tight with tension. "Dr. Saltzman's daughters Josie and Lizzie were taken by a Peryton. I want to do a pink crystal visual teleport, but I don't know the spell."

I blinked, startled. "Okay... do you have pen and paper? I'll walk you through it."

⸻

Hope's POV

"Thanks, Aunt Freya. I'll be careful. Love you," I said, hanging up. I read through the instructions carefully. I needed to visualize Josie clearly, focus on her essence and the hoodie helped, giving me the connection I needed.

Back in the library, I settled into a chair. The crystal in my left hand, the spell sheet on my right leg, I pulled the hoodie up around my nose, letting Josie's scent anchor me.

Closing my eyes, I focused all my energy, reciting the spell slowly. I pictured her clearly, her laugh, her hands, her hair brushing against my shoulder. My heart hammered, and I refused to let panic win.
I needed her.