Will of the Witch [Legacy, BK 2 - Completed]

Chapter 8.5

John

"Thanks, John," Benji said.

I turned back to Kaylee and frowned. She'd nearly exhausted all of her power, the glimmer of magic within her growing lighter. She probably didn't realize how close she was to passing out. I needed to warn her, but that also meant I'd need to get closer to the demon.

The wounds on my shoulders ached at the thought. Even still, I moved forward slowly, slower than even Hunter had moved. I kept my eyes on the cat-like demon and stepped up between Kaylee and Hunter. I rested a hand on Kaylee's forearm, drawing her attention to me.

"You've got to stop now. Let go of what's in your mind and break the connection between you and the demon."

She shook her head. "She's in too much pain. I can't. She'll go into a rage if I don't keep it up. "

The demon's head shifted towards us and I froze, not wanting to encourage any more movement from it. I forced myself to ignore the demon altogether and focused more on Kaylee. As I watched exactly what she was doing with her power, an idea came to me. I reached out for Hunter's hand.

"How long will it take to get the demon patched up?"

Hunter glanced at me. "Once Ezra gets back? Twenty, maybe thirty, minutes? I'm not exactly sure about what I'm doing here."

The giant cat demon shook her head as if she were disapproving of what she heard.

"Easy girl," Hunter hushed, running a hand along the fur of her spine. 'We've got this."

Did we, really?

I moved back a little and motioned to Benji to join us. I'd tried this with Poe and Ezra once, and it was basically the same situation again. But I wasn't sure about the difference in the powers. Benji and Kaylee were blood-related, so it should work. But Kaylee was using her witch's power. So, feeding Benji's Summoner powers into her might not have any effect, or it could be explosive. Who honestly would think to cross the two?

But it was the only thing I could think of to try at this point. It wasn't like I could reach my own powers to help her out.

I choked the bitterness down and scrubbed at my face with my hands. This would have to work.

"Kaylee needs some help," I said in a low voice once Benji was close enough. "She's about to tap out of her power, and that would be bad-"

Benji looked at the demon and nodded quickly. "Okay, what can we do to help?"

I walked him through the same steps I had with Poe and Ezra, but slower, connecting Kaylee with her father and helping him to channel his energy into whatever 'spell' she'd created that was keeping the big demon calm. We took it slow, ready to pull back at any moment it looked like the different powers wouldn't mix, but the concern didn't seem to be necessary.

Benji's summoner powers and the witch's magic Kaylee was using flowed together seamlessly as if the two were one from the beginning. Now, wasn't that interesting.

Stepping back, I caught Hunter looking at me from over the demon's back again, a small smile and a look of awe in his eyes, that I wasn't sure how to respond to.

"That'll only buy us a bit more time," I said, instead, but even as I spoke, I caught the sounds of Ez coming back through the trees.

He appeared with Avery in tow, a bundle of supplies in the crook of his elbow.

It didn't take long for Hunter to started patching up the deep gash on the demon's side, and as he worked, I continued to coach Benji and Kaylee to keep their connection going. Kaylee's strength was starting to fade as well now, not having the stamina to maintain such a lengthy and intense work as long as she had.

"We're running out of time," I mentioned to Hunter, trying to urge him to hurry.

"Almost there," he mumbled, focusing on the wound.

The demon jerked then, causing me to jump as it hissed and snapped its teeth. Hunter stayed put, even as the demon's saber-tooth like canines came dangerously close to his forearms.

"Easy, now," he spoke to it. "Easy, we're almost done. Just one more..."

Kaylee went limp, collapsing into her father's arms as the demon let out another, more vicious, roar and stumbled to its feet. Even exhausted as she was, I could see Kaylee trying to arouse herself at the demon's cry. Benji and I moved her back, trying to get out of reach of the demon's claws.

Hunter rushed around to put himself between us and the demon. He held out his hands as if he were going to stop it with the sheer force of his will alone, or maybe some Jedi mind trick.

With a sneer, the demon took a step forward, pressing closer to Hunter in a threatening way.

"Hey," Hunter said, only loud enough to be heard over the continuing growl. "We're not your enemy here."

The demon's golden eyes shimmered in the late afternoon light that filtered down through the trees as it stared intently at Hunter.

Benji shifted Kaylee's weight in his arms, and as he moved, the demons head swung towards us with a sneer.

Hunter side-stepped, keeping himself between our group and the demon.

"Easy, Benji," Ezra whispered harshly at me. "Don't move."

Glancing over at Ez, I saw that he and Avery stood behind us, side by side. Ezra's hands were stretched out ready to summon. I swallowed, my tongue like sandpaper in my mouth.

The demon growled again, though this time it seemed more like a disgruntled opinion than a threat. She focused on Hunter for a long moment and eased forward again until her head pressed into the palm of his hand.

Hunter seemed startled but cautiously gave in to the comfort that the creature sought from him, scratching at the fur above her eyes, then moving to scratch at under her chin.

"Incredible," Avery said softly.

The demon's purr grew louder, and she pressed her head into his hand more firmly, her nose finding the pendant on the leather bracelet on his wrist. Hunter froze, but I couldn't see his face as a wind whipped up around him, tossing his hair and clothes with the strength of the sudden gale.

The demon dissolved in front of him, in the way I'd seen Kastem and the other of Ezra's demons do as he dismissed them. The wind settled, and Hunter stood still a long moment before he finally turned to us.

His eyes sought me out, wonder filling them as he smiled slowly. "I know her name."

I let the breath I was holding go in a long sigh and laughed a little as relief flooded through me. Ezra and Avery rushed over to Hunter, but I could only manage to sink to the ground.

"Is it always this much excitement with your group?" Benji asked me.

The question forced another laugh from me, and I just shook my head at him. I wasn't sure if I should tell him the truth or not. I didn't want to scare the summoner away before Ezra really had a chance to talk to him.

Still, I was happy for Hunter. Looking at him, standing next to Ezra, I could see the same power starting to blossom inside of him. A reddish-orange iridescent glow that was growing from the center of his chest and working out.

I was happy for him, so why did I feel so awful?