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

Chapter 11.2

John

I followed Hunter through the portal and stepped out into a small clearing. It was full dark now and only Ezra's magic gave off any light. Ezra closed the portal and then immediately continued his hand movements into a summoning spell, calling Kastem.

The other summoners followed his lead, each calling one of their own. Hunter and Anissa stood on either side of me and soon their demons did too. Anissa had found one that looked half-lizard, half-bird, but was nearly the size of a small dog. The tan and white feathers on its claw-like arms seemed to glow in the light of the summoners' magics.

Benji summoned a demon that resembled a gorilla, its dark shape blending with the night, making it hard to know just how large it was. Its piercing amber eyes shone with a deep intelligence I didn't want to cross.

Kastem sniffed the air, a tension held in his muscles before the large dog-like demon turned to me. It stepped across the small space between us, continuing to sniff until it reached my hand. Kastem looked up at me, confused. I reached out slowly and rubbed the top of its head like I'd seen Avery do all summer. The demon allowed it, even leaning into my hand, before returning to Ezra's side.

"We'll split into two groups," Ezra said softly. "Hunter and John, you're with Benji. Circle around the west side of the village and see what you can find. Suon and Anissa, you're with me, we'll go around the east. The first sign of trouble, head back to the temple. Understand?"

Agreements came from around the circle and we broke off. Benji moved through the jungle silently and slowly, giving us a chance to follow him without making too much noise. Benji's demon walked beside him, just as silently, which seemed impossible for a demon as large as it was.

Everyone but me seemed certain about what they were doing. I felt inside for my power and the magic Poe had given me bubbled quickly to the surface, with an urgency I didn't recognize. It was so different from the slow and patient earth magic I'd been born with. How was I supposed to use it?

Hunter glanced back at me, his face lit by a rare patch of moonlight. He paused for a moment, allowing me to catch up and for the distance between us and Benji grow. Hunter's demon, the large panther-like cat slowed, too, its tail twitching as it glanced back at us.

"It's alright, Mai, we'll catch up," Hunter whispered, and his demon continued to follow Benji. He turned back to me. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," I said, forcing more confidence into my voice than I actually felt.

He frowned at me, something that was starting to become a habit.

But what was I supposed to say? That I had absolutely no idea what I was doing? That I wasn't sure I could handle the power Poe had given to me?

I took a deep breath and tried to focus past the ringing in my ears. So much had happened over the last few months, and I'd survived it all. I'd get through this, too.

As we neared the village, I started recognizing the well-worn paths under our feet, even in the dark. Through the trees, I could see campfires and torches burning, lighting the areas around the huts. There wasn't anyone about that I could see, but the sounds of laughter and chatter drifted through the air. It sounded like most of them were gathered in the village center.

Hunter quickened his pace, moving ahead to speak quietly in Benji's ear as we paused near Tamner's hut. There was nothing on the outskirts of the village, if we were to find anything, we'd have to move in deeper.

I stepped around the healer's hut, but as soon as I did, the sound of heavy footsteps froze me.

One of the warriors came around the corner of the hut. What happened next was quick. Caught off guard, the warrior reached for a blade on his hip. I grabbed his wrists with both my hands, reaching for my power without a second thought. A cold, pulling feeling flared inside me, like nothing I'd ever felt before. The warrior went rigid, eyes widening before they rolled back in his head. He fell to the ground, just Benji and Hunter rushed up beside me.

"What happened?" Hunter asked in a hushed voice as Benji knelt beside the warrior.

I glanced down at my hands and tried to scrub a dark smudge of what must've been dirt off my right. Not entirely sure how I'd gotten dirt on them. "I'm not sure, he surprised me. I grabbed him, then he just went down."

Benji looked up at us, taking his fingers from the pulse point on the warrior's neck. "He's dead."

"What?" I took a step back, glancing down at my hands. They started to shake. I thought back to what happened earlier in the courtyard with Anya and the leaf that had shriveled in my hand. I asked the question, but I already knew. "Did I do it?"

Neither of them answered me.

"Help me with him," Benji asked Hunter, grabbing the dead man's arms. Hunter frowned but grabbed the warrior's legs. Together, they carried him further into the trees, hiding him in the thick undergrowth.

I wrapped my arms around myself tightly. Closing my eyes, I bent down in the shadows, hiding. I didn't want anyone else to come close. I felt lost in my own skin more than I'd ever had before. Without choosing to, I'd taken someone's life from them. I'd done the very thing I despised my kind for.