Isabella ran straight for the wall, hands up, ready to blast as much energy she could call forth right at it if she had to. Seconds before she reached the surface, she used her powers to force a hole in the wall. It didn't work, but she kept running. She tried again. Nothing happened. She kept running, hands out. "Fine! I'll push you down!"
"Izzy, no!" she heard Cleo shout from behind her, but she didn't stop. She was going to get Lana out of this trance that she was in.
As Isabella's came in contact with the wall, she felt it liquify and pull her right through. When she was on the other side, she was thrust forward into the strange world where Lana and Evie continued relaxing and enjoying what looked like a beautiful day. But as she tried to convince them to leave with her, everything dissolved. She had been tricked yet again! This place was infuriating!
"I'm so sorry," Cleo said as Nate cursed under his breath as they rushed toward Isabella and the forest returned to violet.
"I felt them here!" Isabella cried. Before she could think of what the heck she was going to do now, an unseen tug around her waist Isabella screaming, trying to pull her further into the forest. Nate and Cleo grab her in time and all three used their energies to cut the grasp of whatever was trying to drag Isabella deeper into the woods.
Then Isabella heard a new voice, soft but kind.
"Lana and Evie are with Gaut. Follow me, come save them," the voice said.
Isabella clutched her necklace to help her connect with the voice and ran after it. Anywhere it led, she followed. Cleo and Nate called for her to slow down, but she was focused on saving their friends.
Eventually, she came to a clearing and found Lana and Evie on the ground passed out. Hoping they were still alive, she rushed toward them. It was them this time. It was really them. She could feel it vibrating off her skin, thumping in her heart. Unfortunately, when she was less than a foot away from their unconscious bodies, an invisible fist grabbed her throat and shoved her in the air. She fought for air, her feet dangled from the ground. Seth. Help. She could feel his urgency from who knew where. Panicked, she gasped for breath, trying to pull out any power she had within her to escape. Nothing was working. Her eyes shifted to Cleo and Nate who were fighting to get close to the beast but they didn't seem to be able to get through. The grip loosened on her, and she pressed her eyes together. The creature was a man. She could feel it in her pores. She summoned heat, as much heat as she could without killing herself into her body to sting the attacker's heavy fist into dropping her to the floor.
"Ahh!" She heard him cry.
"You're a man," she coughed out.
"And you will die, Diadem girl," the voice growled, locking its fist around her neck tighter than it had before. Seth. Where are you?
***
Seth, Micah and Xander followed Neeta down several steps to what looked like a subway tunnel but instead of a train platform they found themselves in a room made of cinder blocks.
"What gives?" Seth barked.
"Hold your horses," said Neeta, holding up her wrist and punching a code into the black device senior members of the Midnight Brotherhood wore like watches. In less than a second, a blue light cut an oval portal into the far wall.
"Where's that take us?" Micah wanted to know. Seth was glad his younger brother had grown a thicker skin since last year. He seemed to be taking everything in stride. Good. He needed to be able to rely on him.
"To Isabella," Neeta explained.
Perfect. Seth moved forward without waiting for further instruction.
"HOLD ON!" Neeta shouted. "You need to concentrate on her energy."
Seth spun around. These delays and interruptions needed to end. "What? How do I do that?"
"Together you save her. Right now, you all need to stand side-by-side. Focus on her, clasp your rings, then step through simultaneously. I won't be able to go. Just her cohort. Understand?"
Seth nodded once as he, Micah and Xander lined up, cupped their left hands over their rights, covering the empath rings they'd received less than a year ago upon completion of the debut journey into this world. The rings, like Isabella's and Cleo's necklaces, held the stones they'd received from the Divinato last year. They had been working with them alongside their individual powers with Colin over the past few months. They needed to grow stronger as a cohort, but they had yet to put anything into practice in real life. Seth shut his eyes and concentrated on the first thing that came to his mind: Isabella's face. First, it was laughing, light free, then suddenly morphed into torturous pain. His heart filled with terror. Seth. Help me! He heard her. He opened his eyes and looked over at Micah and Xander. They looked terrified as well. Without any words between them, they ran through the portal.
"Let her go, you bastard!" Cleo's scream carved into Seth's ears as they tumbled out of the portal into the middle of a forest clearing inked in purple hues.
Then he saw Isabella dangling from the ground just like he had in the courtroom. Thick fear shoved into his throat as he blindly ran toward her, vaguely noticing Nate was there with Cleo, holding her back from whatever evil force gripped Isabella.
"Seth! Help her!" Cleo cried out.
Seth could not move past the swirling force of wind that kicked up around Isabella as soon as he got close. "Izzy! Izzy!" He cried, trying to force his way through with no luck.
Isabella's green eyes had grown pale, she struggled against the force that was holding her. "Seth," she choked out, "save Lana and Ev..."
For the first time, Seth noticed the curled up unconscious bodies of Isabella's friends face down in the fallen leaves of this purple hell. He'd help them after he helped her. Damn this whole thing. Neeta said they all had to save her. It couldn't be just him. Seth turned to Cleo, Micah, and Xander. "We gotta do this together."
Nate let Cleo go. She stepped forward and stood next to her twin. She took his hand. An energy rippled between them. Micah took Cleo's other hand. A visible light permeated off them. Seth inched backwards to complete the line, taking his brother's hand. A force from where he did not know flowed through him and a roar ripped through his lips. Then, they were all crying out. Their combined energies forcing the invisible demon away from Isabella's body, sending her crashing to the earth. Seth went to her. She coughed a couple of times but was on her feet with Seth's support. They clutched hands and faced the demon. The transparent monster had a form now; they could see the outline of the beast. Then colors appeared on its body and soon they were looking at what appeared to be the necromancer from the time realm portal. But it couldn't have been not out there. Seth wondered if the thing was playing tricks on their mind. Were they even seeing the same thing? "Let's kill it!" Seth shouted to the others.
The reunited cohort tapped into Isabella, channeling her fierce elemental energy and forced the most powerful blast Seth had ever seen at the creature. His body shook as if it might break, but that only fueled his determination. He needed to rid the world of whatever this thing was right now. He could feel Xander's goodness, Cleo's wit, Micah's calculation and Isabella's passion pulsing through him. The necromancer exploded, fizzling into a cloud of smoke. They kept their hands at the ready, communicating with each other to hold tight until the smoke evaporated. It was a good thing too because out of the smoke a man's form appeared – John Johnson. Seth, Isabella and the others paused in shock. Killing a creature was not the same as destroying a person. The long face of the man they'd known as a studio executive grew older, grimmer, and much more menacing. "You've seen things you should not have. You've brought forward things that weren't meant for you to see," he snarled. His skin was almost gray. He looked dead. How could this be the same man from Brightwood Studios? But it was. It was him. Seth knew it in his bones.
"Well, if you didn't try to pin it on my brother, maybe we would have left well enough alone," Isabella spat. He felt a surge of pride, standing tall beside her. She was taking on this bizarre situation as it was without asking questions, simply facing her opponent with whatever arsenal she had on hand.
"Diadem child, do not think you will with this? He is stronger than you or me. He will take over this realm and destroy you – unless you join him as I have."
"Never!"
Two sets of fierce energy pushed themselves at each other – one from John's hands and the other's from Isabella's. Seth and the others joined her. His powers were strong, as if they were coming from somewhere else – or something else.
"It's too hard!" Xander cried. "I can't breathe!"
"Think of Lana!" Isabella called out to him. That seemed to work. Isabella knew them all so well. Xander's renewed power forced their collective strength to push the man further and further away. Then every grew hotter and hotter. John's hair and eyes were wild as he snarled, his power nearly knocking them to the ground. "Keep pushing!" insisted Isabella.
Isabella, you let us die.
Seth, you were supposed to help us.
Isabella, join Jack. I betrayed him. He will lead you on a better path.
Seth heard the voices and knew Isabella did, too. They were from the Ghost Realm. The starlets and Beatrice, taunting her. But why and how? It had to be what Elias said the time witch was monitoring – the residue left over from their travels.
Suddenly, the sky went dark. Blast! A blinding light washed over the clearing and their connection broke. Seth stumbled and fell to his knees. When he looked up, John was gone and an odd sense of peace washed over him. He sighed, bowing his head. It was over...for now.
***
"Isabella," said a man with dark hair, tan skin, and sharp green eyes, stepping into the clearing. His face wore lines of wisdom and truth. He looked old but not at all.
"Joseph?" Isabella remembered him from a vision she'd had outside of Theophilus's shop once as he spoke to a young Renee Foxworthy. "Are you Joseph Gaut?"
He was the man who'd give Jack the power of youth from the waters of his lake. He was the man who'd created the Violet Fire to protect her family, and everything they saw around him.
"Yes," he told her, a small smile on his lips.
It was amazing to finally see him, but Lana and Evie were still unconscious. Isabella turned to move to her fallen friends, but Joseph held up his hand. "Time and space is still for the moment."
"Your power is strong for ones so young, so untouched by experience. He was like you, but I failed him. He let love destroy him."
Before Isabella could ask what he'd meant, Seth asked, his voice ringing through the trees. "Where is John Johnson?"
"Why was he here?" Cleo asked. They all seemed to trust Gaut. They knew of him and perhaps sensed his identity, but it was more than that. She felt their guards down and calm vibrating off their energies. Of course, that did not stop them from asking questions.
"Tell us, please." Isabella stepped forward. Was this man even there or was it a projected image of him? "Do we need to seek him out again? Is he gone?"
"He was only a pawn in a dark war. He is not your true enemy. And he will not come back."
"But how was it him? How was he alive when Beatrice died? Long John was the man who was accused of her murder, but it was Jack all along. He took the blame and what—"
"Jack offered him part of the vile he stole from the Violet Lake, the vile that would—"
"Keep him young," Cleo deduced.
"Yes, but Jack's friend wanted a good life, a life where he did not know he'd committed the crime," explained Joseph.
"But he didn't," Seth insisted, stepping closer to Joseph as if that would give him clearer answers.
"Jack made him think he did," Joseph went on. "But when Ms. Silver appeared it all came back to him. It broke the spell, so he followed her into the Ghost Realm."
"You knew all this, and you didn't stop it?"
"It is not my place. And as I've said, John Johnson is not your enemy."
"But Jack is! It's Jack again. What does he want from us? Why kill an innocent woman like Serena Silver? Another empath?" Isabella knew the folly of what she was saying instantly. Jack had killed Beatrice—and her parents. He'd already committed the crime. But why wasn't he locked away on Diablo Island?"
"He has eluded capture. No saw him kill your great aunt," said Joseph.
"But surely you could have—"
"What I know and what can proven are not the same. And as I've said, it is not my place to interfere in such matters."
"But everyone knows. You can tell they do," Xander said, voice trembling as if he was the Cowardly Lion plucking up courage to speak to the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz.
"Jack has the power to blind people to the truth. They've exiled him yet again, but always comes back. He is determined."
"But now they have evidence... at least for Serena's murder," said Seth.
"Then go home. Wait. Enjoy your victory."
"Why don't I like the sound of that?" quipped Cleo, running her fingers through her hair. She grimaced and rubbed her index finger and thumb together. "Gross. I totally need a shower."
Joseph stepped forward and placed a hand on Isabella's shoulder. It made her feel light and at peace. "For now, you've saved the family. Your legacy is safe."
Isabella nodded as Joseph stepped back.
"You all feel it. I know. I am here if you need me. Challenges lie ahead, rest but never be complacent."
"Can't you tell us more?" Isabella choked out. "And what about Lana and Evie?"
"Your destiny lies ahead, and together you have power that cannot be measured. I cannot say much more. Please, go home. Keep tight to each other. The future awaits." He walked up to the unconscious girls and touched their foreheads. A light surged through Evie, who coughed and woke up instantly. Lana, however, did not move for a moment. Joseph closes his eyes and puts two fingers to either side of her temple. Isabella watched as Joseph inhaled deeply and shut his eyes. The earth seemed to tremble a bit beneath their feet as the same light filled Lana's body, only this time it swept over her back and forth until she too was coughing and sitting up.
"Lana, thank God!" Isabella cried as they all moved to help the girls up. Nate was there to help Evie, but it was Isabella and Cleo who helped Lana.
"Looks like her leg's messed up pretty bad," Nate said, as he steadied Lana when she tried to sit up. "You have the healers' mark," the tall man said.
Isabella thought he'd met her or Cleo, but Nate was staring at Lana, pointing to her hand. Lana turned it over and on the inside of her wrist was a tattooed emblem that looked similar to the ones the medical association used, snake and all.
Without another word, Lana moved in front of Evie and swept her hand over her wound as if on instinct.
"Lana, what—" To Isabella's shock, Evie was healed. No cuts, no gash. "Did you do that, Lana?"
"I-I don't know. I think so."
"That's amazing," Xander said, "are you one of us now?"
Lana just stared at her hands in shock.
"I guess she is," Isabella smiled. "I'm just glad you're all right." The two friends hugged. Cleo joined them.
When the tears dried, Cleo suggested, "Let's get back to Empath Hall. I can glamour Evie's memories after or we can get Neeta or someone who knows better than I do how to do it perfectly."
"What's glamour?" Evie wanted to know. Isabella looked back over her shoulder, remembering the presence of her visitor. But he'd vanished. His visit had been fleeting, but he meant something. He'd told her they had work to do. She had no idea what work it was they needed to do, but she was happy to do it with her friends.
Back at Empath Hall, Colin stood on the front steps in as the dark sky above him reminded him just how beautiful freedom could be. Isabella through her arms around her brother. Then, it was Cleo's turn, and the rest of the cohort. They went in for a ridiculous group hug. "It's time to go, children."
Isabella looked over to see her grandmother next to Seth and Micah's parents and the Antonelli crew. Isabella waved at them. Their faces said the same thing she was thinking, Let's go home.
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One more chapter after this!
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