The In-Between (Book 1 - Death, Demons and Mere Mortals)

Chapter TWENTY-FOUR - The Burning Finger

Blake and Jen stood back, the breeze rushing between their legs. Emma's hair rose, strand by strand until she rose with it. Her feet left the ground, her hands by her sides twitching with power. And then, she did something that struck fear within Jen and even Blake.

Emma opened her eyes.

They were completely white. Bright as they stared into Jen and Blake, piercing their skin. Jen felt as though Emma could see her soul, hear her thoughts, find her lies and discover her deepest desires. She wanted to turn away, but the white eyes held her rooted in place.

There was a loud crack that rung in the room. A line appeared in the throne, a small, tiny crack. The sound didn't fit the action. Emma dropped in a second, blinking to regain her vision. She missed the horrified stares that were aimed her way, she was looking at the crack in the throne.

She narrowed her eyes, hesitation curling within her. She didn't trust it, something felt off. She crept towards it, forgetting that she wasn't alone. The sound of their feet shuffling frightened her, but she hid it and continued.

Some hands were curled and distorted, their features broken or damaged or perhaps they were always like that. Emma took a breath, peering into the crack to see nothing but darkness. There was no way they could break it themselves and her magic hadn't worked. Emma was stumped. She pulled herself back, standing between them.

'Is there anything else you can try?' Jen asked, doing her best to lace her voice with hope. False hope. She could feel the discouragement in the air, the frustration seeping into the room. Emma shook her head, her hand rubbing her tense jaw as she thought.

'You really think it's under there?' Blake asked with uncertainty, tilting his head as he studied the throne. 'They wrote that they burnt it.' Emma's head swung, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open.

'What?' She growled, her chest rumbling as she did. Jen was looking to the ceiling, terrified that it would fall and crush them all. A hand still held her heart in a vice-like grip, her body jumping at every sound and every touch of air.

Blake's eyes expanded as he took in her furious expression. Her hand was squeezed into a tight fist, lowering from her face to her side. 'They-they burned it?' He asked, stuttering his words as he remembered the vacant white eyes that were also her dark blue ones.

She inhaled. Her frown turning into a tight grin, the corners of her lips pulling up and her eyes sparkling in the blue light. 'No,' She whispered in disagreement, 'they didn't burn it. They said to burn.' A light flashed in her mind, she stared at the throne as if it was a puzzle that she could finally see clear as day. 'Which means that it hasn't burned...yet.' She ran her finger across her lip, narrowing her eyes onto the hundreds of hands reaching out for help.

'What do you mean?' Blake asked hesitantly, stepping closer to see what she could see. She spun on her heel, grinning up at him with her teeth showing.

'Do you have your lighter?' Her eyes beamed up at him with frantic energy. Blake patted down his pockets, reaching into the back one to pull out the transparent green lighter. She snatched it from his loose grip before he could blink and crouched, flicking the flint a few times and grinning psychotically at the flame that danced in front of her nose.

Blake gripped Jen's shoulder, tugging her back a few steps. She gasped, stumbling before she managed to follow, keeping a few steps behind him so that she could hide behind if something happened.

One hand stood out on the other side of the throne's base. Just above the ground, a hand that was outstretched flat, all fingers missing except one. The only major point on the throne. Emma smiled and shuffled to the other side and with a breath, she lowered the flame until it met the finger. It burned the rock, the flame bouncing around it as she pressed it closer. She exhaled, her breath rushing out her mouth. Much like gasoline, her breath caught the fire, picking it up and throwing it across the throne.