By Samantha Cook
Chapter Twelve Inverse Spell
Moving as quickly as possible, Nikkitah organised the five beings to stand at the corners of the pentagram. "Focus on your inner magic," Nikkitah told them as she connected their stances together on the cold stone basement floor with chalk; when it was completed the line lit up, illuminating the room with an amber glow. "This is a heightened Inverse spell, which uses the earth as a placeholder for your magic. Hopefully, it will do much more than that tonight." The Embers held their breaths while the Demons presented poker faces of steel.
The next step of the Inverse spell was summoning all elements to return to where they came from. Nikkitah quickly recalled all of her knowledge of the spell while manically running around them, placing an object in each of their hands. "Earth for a Protector," she told Feya, handing her a potted plant. "Water for the ever flowing, everlasting." She handed Tristan a small bowl with a tiny dash of water. "Don't spill that, its tears," she said with a look that told him exactly who would be crying more out if his fingers slipped.
"Fire for the strong spirited Ember. " She turned to Kelsey and handed her an orange candle. "Light the wick - it can only be done by you."
"Air, for the one who poisons it." She handed Melaina the jar as if she were no different from an Ember. "Let us begin."
"What about Alastor?" Feya asked panicked at the thought of a mistake - her nerves did not take kindly to being bottled up.
"We never did figure out what the fifth element was. You should remember that from Oliana's teachings. Were you not listening?" Her voice was sarcastic. Feya wanted to explain and say, "Well, she drones on," but it was not the right time. In a few moments there was a chance that it wouldn't even matter anymore. Instead she watched as Nikkitah took a deep breath and centred herself inside the pentagon.
Her lips were moving, but only faint hisses of whispers could be heard from Nikkitah as she raised her atheme above her head. Then she pulled back her sleeve and sliced with a subtle wince. Blood filled the line as the glowing chalk pulsed. A bead slowly pulled away and drizzled down her arm under her careful coaxing, before dripping to the ground. "Blood of a neutral soul," she said. In unison, they all closed their eyes...
...And then opened them again. It was hard to tell if they could sense the energy flow from their bodies, or if it just the anticlimax dulling the moment. The miscellaneous group began exchanging expressions: Tristan confused, Feya worried, Alastor glaring; Melaina stressed - it was only when Feya looked at Kelsey's relieved expression did hope return.
Gulping drily, Kelsey thought back to yesterday, a recent day where she would almost certainly remember anyone and anything down to any twitch or even the flicker of a candle if she put her mind to it. Although something was definitely wrong, as despite her mind trying to curl and entwine itself to the previous conversation, she could not remember the four main signs listed under chapter...maybe eight about how to detect if a spell had worked or not. Still, part of her felt it could easily been a fluke, seeming her mind wasn't in the mood to read when she scanned the book. She could have easily not taken the information in.
"Kelsey, I can't hear you," Feya repeated, bringing her friend back to reality.
"Huh, what? I didn't say anything, did I?" After she blurted these words, her mind clicked. "What - telepathically?" she asked to a blank mental station. The words echoed around her hollow head for she was sure no one could 'hear' her anymore.
Immediately Feya held her hands up in the way she did when summoning her strongest shield. Of course nothing happened. 'Vulnerable' echoed round her head at the sight of the air before her. 'Tristan is vulnerable now'.
"Let's get this over with," Feya said. Nikkitah nodded and headed for the basement steps.
"Ah, not yet," Alastor warned, placing his hand on her hard shoulder. She looked confused at the gesture as if he had said nothing at all but just grabbed her and starred.
"I don't understand," she confessed, looking around the room for inspiration. It was clear that this was the first time she not understood every aspect of what someone had said to her. "The spell might not last long, and they could figure it out-"
Alastor curved his thin lips while he tolerated her ramble. "Melaina and I will guide you as if nothing has changed and you are still civilians. Without magical energy you are just a human woman, if I may say so."
With a hesitant nod, Nikkitah let Melaina and Alastor take the lead up to the stairs. Suddenly the door cluttered open. Light poured into the room, burning their retinas as the silhouette stepped forward, his stance shaped to attack. "Traitor," the man spat into the basement. Between the light bouncing from the walls they could see he was the Demon who could control lightening.
"Rai," Alastor replied, adding his own slick touch to the pronunciation. "So, shoot me," he teased with another thin smile.
The man named Rai almost snorted at his words. "I'd much rather shoot your company, although you would know that I'm not the one who enjoys the kill." As their eyes adjusted to the faint lighting it revealed the downwards turn of his eyebrows. He was too angry to speak.
"I could easily make you kill, just like that poor human girl whom I did not want to dirty my hands with. But then, you always were easy to manipulate - a slave to those tiresome emotions."
Rai held his tongue, while his lips began to quiver. It was hard for Feya and Kelsey to understand what was happening inside Rai's head until he struck his hand in the air and snarled at Alastor. The air was static.
"Well then," Alastor said, as Rai tried harder and harder to release the wrath of his magic on them. His eyes grew wider and wider with panic but he did not drop his hand, even as Alastor stepped forward. When he finally realise something wasn't right, it was too late from him.
"Alert Deri-" he roared before Alastor's smooth fist swiped his cheek; Rai fell to the floor groaning as Alastor twisted his head sideways to watch his former 'friend' collapse.
"Did you arm yourselves?" Alastor asked while stepping over the body graciously.
Checking her pocket, Feya loosely held the atheme in her hand. The cold steel told her that her palms were warm and sweaty. Her plan was to return it to Tristan but it was only just now that the thought sparked in her memory, and it was her only weapon, let alone everyone had made some sort of nod. If she gave it away now, she would be unarmed. She decided to nod too.
"Then let's go."
One by one they stepped over the unconscious Rai and left the basement. Alastor pulled a tiny silver key out of his pocket and locked the door just as Rai was beginning to twitch. He slid the door shut and twisted the lock in one smooth motion before swiftly leading them down the hallway. Just as they turned to run down a room the basement door started to bang. Feya hesitated for just one second before Tristan pulled her into the room, but it was a second too long. As Tristan tugged Feya to safety, the halls started to swarm with Demons.
"They're everywhere," Feya panicked before turning her attention to the room. It was basic and empty apart from a large long table, several chairs and a fish tank for a side wall.
"So, what are we doing here?" Kelsey asked.
It was Nikkitah who spoke next. "We need to be careful about this, picking their number off discreetly until we reach the grand floor, which is an open room where Derribus will be."
"And what exactly does he use his 'grand floor' for?"
A quick smile played across Nikkitah's face. "Killing," she first said, but then she looked at the floor and fluffed up the back of her short hair. "We don't actually know, probably killing, and collecting - he's supposed to be quite the kleptomaniac but don't ask for what. There are things that 'sides' prefer not to share."
"A necessity," Alastor hissed. "Not all Demons know, so if you were to acquire certain information it would become clear whose hands are at work." They shared a glare that no one would dare to interrupt, until it seemed to last forever, where another question began tickling Feya's throat. "How exactly are we going to pick them off?" Before Feya could finish her sentence, Nikkitah and Tristan pulled out a gun each, while Alastor and Melaina were suddenly gripping daggers.
"What were your weapons exactly?" Nikkitah asked.
Kelsey uncovered the hexed knife. Before she could explain how well she could handle herself, Nikkitah flung a gun into her arms. When it hit her chest she freaked out, her arms flailing to get a safe grip on the handle like it was an explosive fish. "Relax, it;s not loaded. And Feya, don't bother." She tossed another pistol in Feya's direction before giving a step by step guide on how to load the gun.
"I won't - I can't - this isn't-" Feya flustered before Nikkitah interrupted.
"It's necessary. At the very least a precaution and a last resort, but it is not a choice."
Once Nikkitah had finished her run through, Feya pointed the gun to the floor. It baffled her how Kelsey could look so natural holding something both threatening and sensitive, as if clutching a handbag. She considered taking the ammo out and dropping it into the fish tank, but Tristan caught her attention as he peered round the door into the hallway.
"You should see this," he said with concern painted across his face. His concentration stayed focused on the hallway window, and he walked towards it as if hypnotised. "We were forgetting a few people."
Through the windows, two black vans could be seen on the mansion's lawn, no longer hidden by the Clocking spell conducted by Oliana. Embers began pouring out of them, oblivious to what had happened in the basement of the mansion.
"We have to warn them," Feya began, but a sudden sickening thought filled her with dread. "It wouldn't make a difference would it?"
"No," Kelsey confirmed. "We were their only plan, and Oliana is leading them ahead anyway."
Likewise a frontier of Demons strutted out from their territory, completely calm, still unknown to the major problem. One of the Demons held his hand out behind his back, a hexed dagger already summoned in his hand. Feya felt her legs begging her to run forward and stop the Demons from attacking her friends, but she knew that by doing so, there would be no hope of survival.
"This is perfect," Melaina exclaimed without a hint of sarcasm. Before anyone could question her, the thought hit them; there would be less Demons in their way. "Our friends can live, isn't that nice honey?" She smiled sweetly at Alastor who brought her in closer.
"Take care," Nikkitah said. Then she flicked her head, directing for Feya, Kelsey and Tristan to follow. Feya began dropping back with mixed feelings. Kelsey grabbed Nikkitah's arm before she could charge up the stairs. She kept her voice low, weary of being in the hallway. "They're not coming?"
Nikkitah pursed her lips. "They have their reasons."
"You mean, this is all we've got? A guy who's used to being invincible, a girl who couldn't fight a fly off which didn't matter up till now because she had a shield, and us, fairly reasonable but nothing against the Derribus!" By the end she was breathing so loudly it resembled shouting.
"Your time for questions was before we left, you should have thought-"
"There wasn't time!"
"Look," Tristan jumped in. "We can't hang round here, just follow her, Kelsey. After all, he's just Ashes."
"For now," Kelsey muttered, but Nikkitah was already scaling the stairs with silent footsteps. With a sigh, Kelsey followed. Feya was last to reach the steps, when the sound of running echoed in the corridor. In her panic she tripped over her own feet, feeling as unsteady as walking down the pathways in her hometown. Luckily Tristan was there to catch her, pulling her up the first flight of stairs and out of sight before anyone could see. When the noise faded, Feya gathered her bearing and turned to see what the others were already gazing at.
Silver tiles tracked the way to the arched door which was the colour of walnuts. The surrounding walls were made from white stone, covering in carvings of symbolic significance. It reminded Feya of a church, as if they have walked up the stairs and to another region of the country.
Nikkitah approached the door and stroked a dent in the wood. "There's no sneaking in and no going back, so brave looks, and good luck." Without further hesitation, Nikkitah pushed on the door causing a session of breaths to be taken. Its creeks were sonorous, echoing infinitely off of the tall ceiling of the exterior. Then the Revellette led the way inwards, directly spotting a figure stood on centre stage. It looked as if he had been waiting for them to walk through his door, expecting every face that he saw before him. His hair was cut into curtains and his feature still looked oddly squashed on his face.
They stood before the powerless Demon in a row, only Nikkitah appearing sure of every step. For a second, Feya felt as if the Revel was leading potential rebels to their early demise, and the thought plagued her until it was all she could think about, stuck within the boundaries of her own mind. He did not look scared or unsure of what was happening, almost as if it was planned. Her hand loosened around the gun and sought out the atheme, just in case.
"So," the man beamed at Tristan. "It was you who had the power of eternal life. We were planning to pursue that lead but other stuff came up."
"Kelsey," he cheered, holding his hands out to her. "The water went to the blood Kelsey; you misinterpreted the signs. If magic moves, then magic means something. It wouldn't be there otherwise."
"And Nikkitah - that did leave a scar." He stroked his finger over his eye where Nikkitah's scar sat. "I offer my condolences, if the rumours were true, and you were using black magic you could fix that with just the simple trade of your soul."
"Derribus," she breathed, no confusion tainting her unfaultable performance as it would for Feya.
Then he raised his hands out as if he were expecting a hug and, still with a smile twisted onto his disproportional face, he simply smiled, "Do it."