I strained every sense toward hearing the spirit or ghost or entity, or whatever Cadish was. The fact that I had no idea what he was unsettled me. I didn’t know what to listen for. I hoped and feared that he would contact me out of the other members of the group because it was my mother who had created him. He had been helping me in the Academy, but I had no idea how to hear him. So much hinged on the slight hope that we could communicate with a being none of us understood.

  “He hears us.”

  My head lifted at the sound of Lyris’ voice. The little witch looked amazed and terrified at the same time. She met my gaze, her green eyes sparking with excitement. “He’s talking to me!”

  I pushed down my disappointment that my mother’s friend had chosen to talk to Lyris instead of me. “Ask him if he knows the chant.”

  “Cadish, do you know the chant?” Lyris asked.

  She looked around the stairway as if she didn’t know where the voice was coming from. Suddenly her head turned left. “He knows it,” she said.

  “What do we do?” Dara pressed.

  “We need pure moonlight,” Lyris said. “We’ll put the moonstones in a circle and Vicken has to be inside of it.”

  Everyone exchanged glances.

  “I’ll get him,” I told my team.

  “Finn, you can’t,” Dara protested.

  I nodded. “I can. I’ve got to.” I looked at my friends. “Alden, Jean, find me something to bind him with.” They disappeared up the stairs. I turned to the others. “Lyris, you and Brack head up to the corridor. Lorne, help them with the stones. The windows are already broken so there’s nothing to obstruct the moonlight.”

  “What about us?” Kiyah asked, indicating herself and Dara.

  “I’ll need your help getting him upstairs.” Now wasn’t the time to beat around the bush. “This isn’t going to be easy,” I told them. “We need to be strong. Neither Vicken nor the demon are going to like this. He’ll fight us every step of the way, and he’s stronger than ever. But if we give up, he’s lost to us.”

  “We’re there,” Kiyah said firmly. Her worry for Vicken shone bright in her light blue eyes.

  “We’ve got this,” Dara said. I felt her push reassurance at the team. If ever we needed it, now was the time.

  “We found chains!” Alden called down.

  They clanged as the little Grim and the vampire ran down together. A feeling of pride welled in me when I looked at our group. Any prejudice the members might have had about working together in the beginning was long gone. Vampires worked beside a warlock, the witch combined forces with the Grim, and all of them listened to a werewolf who was just beginning to understand what he could do. I couldn’t help the feeling of accomplishment that filled me. If we failed, it wouldn’t be for lack of heart.

  Jean handed me the chains. “Good luck, Finn.”

  “Thanks,” I replied. I looked at the others. “Don’t open the door until you hear my voice. If I fail, you’ll have to leave him in there until the professors come up with another option.” I met Kiyah’s gaze. The bite scars on her wrist matched my own. She had already sacrificed so much to save his life. I knew she wouldn’t give up if Vicken bested me. “Got it?”

  “Got it,” the werewolf replied quietly, her gaze firm.

  I put a hand on the door. “Brack, close it tight the moment I’m inside.”

  “How will you see?” Alden asked.

  “I’m a werewolf,” I told him with a grin. “Seeing in the dark is the least of my problems.”

  At my nod, Brack released his hold on the door. The moment it opened a crack, a massive force surged against it. My team pushed back, struggling to keep it closed.

  “He’s too strong!” Lorne protested.

  “I’ll push him back when I get through,” I told them between gritted teeth as I fought to keep the door shut until we were ready. “Hold on.”

  I slipped the chains over my shoulder and under my other arm so that my hands were free.

  “Alright, let it go just a bit,” I commanded.

  Dara grabbed my hand before I could move.

  “Come back to me,” she said. She leaned close and kissed me on the lips.

  I closed my eyes for a brief second and allowed her calmness to quiet my pounding heart before I stepped back.

  “I’ll come back to you,” I promised.

  She nodded with a reluctant expression, her violet eyes filled with worry.

  I crossed to the door. “Let’s do this.”

  My team let the door open just wide enough for me to slip through. I was about to enter the door when a bony white hand shot out and grabbed my arm. The demon yanked me inside and the door shut behind us with a bang.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Darkness filled the room. Any hope I had that I could see was immediately dashed. It was as dark as the demon realm. Vicken’s demon was comfortable.

  I pushed away the fear that threatened to overcome me. I might not be able to see, but I had other senses. I crouched and listened to Vicken’s breathing. The chains rattled with my movements. I was tempted to phase to fight him, but any chance I had of binding him would be gone. Phasing would have to be my last option.

  “Finn.”

  The low, raspy voice cut straight through me. It was Vicken’s to be sure, but something else colored it, something dark, twisted, and promising pain.

  “Finn, I told you I would make your loved ones pay.”

  My lips pulled back in a snarl. “You’re dead.”

  “On the contrary,” the dark voice replied. “Your beloved professor is dead, as well as your uncle, and if you don’t act soon, your weakling vampire will be soon to follow.” A dark chuckle sounded, then, “Who will be next, Finn? I should have killed that empath of yours before you could rescue her. I was so close, too. Her pale skin, those purple eyes so wide in fear. She smelled simply tantalizing, Finnley.”

  My hands balled into fists at my sides. I ducked under the chain and wound it carefully into loops. Vicken walked around me, his steps dragging and scratching the floor. I imagined how much his clawed feet would hurt if he kicked me; the thought kept me focused and facing him as he circled.

  “Your body is gone, so you took another one. You’re a parasite,” I said, my voice level.

  “You can do better than that,” Chutka taunted in Vicken’s voice.

  “I don’t need to do better than that,” I replied. I spun on one knee to keep facing him. “I don’t need to best you, Chutka. You’re the one who destroyed your body with your own fear. You were devoured by your own fire. That must have hurt.”

  A snort sounded, followed by the demon’s dark chuckle. “Purity comes through sacrifice and pain. Why do you think my demons feast on fear?”

  “Feasted,” I corrected.

  The footsteps paused. “What?”

  I realized he didn’t know. That brought a smile to my face. I let him hear it in my voice. “Your demons are dead, Chutka. Every last one of them. We vanquished your subordinates. You have no more followers. You’re alone.”

  Silence filled the air. It was broken by the Demon Prince’s grunt. “I don’t care.”

  “Yes, you do,” I replied. “I can hear it. No one wants to be alone. You need others to follow you.” I paused, then said, “I’ll follow you.”

  “To kill me,” Chutka said with a dark chuckle. “Nice try.”

  I shook my head. “No. For the power.” I allowed a heartbeat of silence to follow before I said, “I saw my uncle’s thoughts.”

  “Conrad was weak,” Chutka growled.

  “But I’m strong,” I replied. “I’m an Alpha. The Academy is full of werewolves and I know where there are more. We could start another demon army, but this time with the strength of the moon to fuel them.”

  I couldn’t read the Demon Prince’s tone when he said in Vicken’s voice, “Why?”

  “I told you,” I replied shortly. “I want the power I felt when Conrad opened the gate. I’m tired of hiding from the world. I want to control it. I need to control it.” I let my frustrations color my voice, sending the truth through my words so that he would hear it.

  I had no idea if it would work, but I had to try. I could only hope that the thought of being alone would spur Chutka into recklessness. It was Vicken’s only hope.

  “You’re tired of being weak,” Chutka finally said.

  “I’m not weak,” I replied. “But I want to be stronger.”

  “You have no idea what strength is until you’ve felt the true nature of the demon realm,” the Demon Prince said. “Take my hand. I’ll show you what power really feels like.”

  I reached out a hand. Vicken’s fingers grabbed mine as Chutka’s claws sank into my wrist. Working quickly before he could react, I looped the chain around his wrist and spun around his side while still holding onto his hand.

  “What are you—”

  I yanked and the chain tightened behind his back, cutting off his protest.

  “No!” the Demon Prince growled.

  He ripped on the chain. The force flipped me onto my back. I heard the hiss of air as he kicked at me. Before the kick could land, I rolled out of the way with the chain still in my hands.

  Chutka yanked on it again, which had the benefit of jerking me back to my feet. I took advantage of the momentum to climb up and over him the way Vicken had done to the Darkest Warlock. I jumped off his back, dropped to one knee, and threw the chain around his legs.

  The Demon Prince caught onto what I was doing. He let out a roar and tried to swipe at me, but I ducked at the sound of the air. Before I could climb back to my feet, his foot connected with my chest and his claws punctured my skin. My breath left me in a rush as I rolled across the ground.

  The sound of the chains loosening sent fear spiking through me. I leaped to my feet and grasped desperately at where it sounded the end of the chain was. The Demon Prince caught me by my throat and lifted me into the air. His claws tightened. I struggled to kick him, but he merely lifted me higher.

  “You tried to trick me,” he said. He raked his claws down my chest. A shout of pain escaped me. “You’ll pay,” he growled.

  I grabbed at the chains that looped around his wrist and pulled. The end tightened around his legs and he stumbled backwards slightly. Taking advantage of his poor balance, I threw myself to the side and felt him topple with me.

  The moment my feet touched the ground, I tore free from his grasp, brought his hands up the way Vicken had done to Grayson, looped his legs into the mix, and pulled the chains tight. The Demon Prince lay hogtied in the middle of the floor. I threw two more loops around his arms and legs to ensure that he was unable to move.

  I rose with the chain in one hand, my muscles tense in case Chutka tried to struggle.

  “What are you doing?” the Demon Prince demanded.

  “Saving my friend,” I replied in a growl. I turned toward the door. “Open up! It’s me!”

  The door immediately opened, flooding the basement in pale light.

  “Finn?” Dara called.

  “It’s alright,” I reassured them. “He’s tied up. But we’ve got to hurry.” I glared down at Chutka in Vicken’s body. “The sooner we get rid of this filth, the better.”

  My team hurried inside. A single laugh escaped Dara at the sight.

  “Vicken would be proud,” she said.

  “Let’s hope he can tell me himself,” I replied.

  It took all of us to carry the Demon Prince in Vicken’s body up the stairs. When we reached the corridor, we stopped at the sight of the professors and students waiting.

  “What are you all doing here?” I asked in surprise.

  “Helping you save him,” Professor Mellon said.

  “He’s one of us,” Espy from Mr. Seedly’s class told me with a nod of her blue-feathered hair.

  “Yeah, one of us,” Aerlis from my second period class echoed.

  Professor Rexus cleared his throat. I recognized Dr. Six’s handiwork in the bandages around one of his thick horns. His deep voice echoed across the room when he said, “We are more than just a school. We are a family, and a family protects its own.”

  Headmistress Wrengold stepped from the crowd. “We’ll do this together, Mr. Briscoe.”

  Students and professors alike helped to carry Chutka to the middle of the moonstone ring. The need to phase surged over me the second I neared it. I backed quickly away with the rest of my wolf pack and watched the others set the demon-possessed vampire down. The Demon Prince struggled. It was clear by the desperation in his flaming eyes that the moonlight hurt, but he couldn’t break free of the chains.

  “Let’s begin,” the Headmistress said. “Lyris, what is the chant?”

  The little witch listened quietly for a few moments before raising her voice. “Witches and warlocks, repeat after me.”

  The words she said didn’t make sense to me, but they were swiftly taken up by the others. Their voices filled the room, bouncing off the walls and the ceiling until they intertwined and crossed in a beautiful tapestry of sound.

  “That’s it.”

  I turned to see who was talking, but nobody was there.

  “They’ve got to keep it up.”

  Warmth filled me at the fact that my mother’s friend was talking to me.

  “For how long?” I asked Cadish.

  “As long as it takes. You’ll know when to act.”

  I glanced behind me in surprise. “Act?”

  “The moonlight reveals our truth,” Cadish replied. “When the truth is revealed, you’ll have a choice to make.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” I told him. “Why is there a choice?”

  “There’s always a choice,” Cadish said elusively.

  As I watched, the moonstones began to glow. A shimmering, lustrous dome appeared over Vicken. The Demon Prince struggled beneath Vicken’s skin, but he couldn’t get free.

  “Will I know what choice to make?” I asked worriedly.

  “You’ve always known,” Cadish said.

  I felt something be pressed into my hand. When I looked down, I saw Professor Brigg’s walking stick. It had been cracked down the middle. Golden light glowed from the gaps in the wood.

  “Break it through,” Cadish told me. “Pierce their hearts. Kill them both.”

  I looked up to see that the chant was working. Vicken’s body was being separated from the Demon Prince. In the middle, their forms still merged as though reluctant to part. Vicken’s face was twisted in pain, Chutka’s in determination. He would fight to destroy us all.

  “Both?” I said. I shook my head. “I can’t do that.”

  “Then you’ve already failed,” Cadish told me. His voice faded until only a whisper met my ear. “Trust your mother.”

  I couldn’t imagine driving half of the walking stick into Vicken’s heart like a stake. Energy pulsed from the cracked wood. Numbly, I lifted it up and broke it in two. Each half was about as thick as a quarter and as long as my arm. I stared from them to the two separating bodies. The stakes warmed in my hands.

  “They’re almost apart!” Lyris called out. “What do we do?”

  “We have to kill the Demon Prince!” the Headmistress said. “Mercer, do you have anything strong enough?”

  “I don’t know,” the sweeper replied. He had brought a huge bag with him and was rummaging through it, but didn’t looked pleased at what he found.

  “We’ve got to hurry,” Brack said, his voice tight.

  “It’s getting brighter!” Professor Mantis called out as she chanted with her double-jointed arms above her head. “We’re going to lose the stones!”

  As if on cue, one of the moonstones shattered. Gasps sounded across the room, and then another stone followed. The dome waivered.

  “Mercer, it’s now or never!” the Headmistress demanded.

  “I-I don’t have anything,” the stone-faced man replied. Fear showed in his usually expressionless gaze.

  “I do.”

  Everyone looked at me. My grip tightened on the stakes.

  “When I say so, stop chanting,” I commanded.

  “But they’ll lose the dome. It’s the only thing keeping Chutka at bay,” Professor Mellon said.

  “I can’t enter or I’ll phase. I need the pathway to be clear,” I replied.

  The Headmistress nodded. “Very well. Students, back away.” She shot me a look. “Mr. Briscoe, I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  I didn’t, but there was no reason to tell her that. I crossed to the edge of the moonstone ring. From that proximity, the impulse to phase was nearly overwhelming. I watched Vicken and the Demon Prince struggle, the former to break free and the latter to hold on. Vicken’s body was Chutka’s last hope. The moment they separated, Chutka would be at his weakest.

  Another stone exploded. The two forms inside the dome pulled together.

  “Louder!” I yelled.

  The chanting rose to an earsplitting volume. Voices shouted around me with the professors leading, desperate to protect their school. The remaining moonstones glowed so brightly I could barely see beyond them. The two bodies pulled apart, and in a split second, I saw the gap between the pair.

  “Stop!” I commanded.

  The voices fell away and so did the dome. The instant it was gone, I leaped inside and raised both stakes above my head.

  “No, Finn!” Kiyah shouted.

  “Finn, what are you doing?” I heard the Headmistress call.

  “Finn, wait!” Dara pleaded.

  I ignored them as I stood above Vicken’s pale form and the Demon Prince’s insubstantial one. Vicken’s eyes met mine. He gave a barely perceptible nod. It was all I needed.

  I drove both stakes down as hard as I could. One pierced flesh while the other slammed through the ghostly dark form into the floor. Cries of pain came from both of them. I backed away and watched Vicken and Chutka writhe against the stakes that pinned them down. Vicken’s pale hands came away bloody and dark while the Demon Prince’s scrambled through the stake but were unable to grasp it.

  I heard Kiyah crying behind me with Dara trying to comfort her, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the two forms. Vicken’s eyes opened one last time and he looked at me with pain in his yellow gaze.

 

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