Can Esme Survive or Will Jonathan have his wicked way?
1697 Words
She swallowed hard and jerked her head back, then spat at him. “You’re the demon…”
“That’s right, Esme. How did you guess? Flynn wears my body while and I’m stuck in this…thing.” He stretched out his white-feathered wings. “These are not mine.”
Esme looked over at me, tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
I bowed my head. I’d seen this happen so many times before. Jonathan teasing and terrifying his victims before… I couldn’t let it happen again. There had to be a way to stop him. I knew if I moved even an inch, he’d slice through her neck and leave her to bleed out. Like mine, his reflexes were quicker than the human eye could see. I needed to stall, distract him somehow so Esme could use her magic against him. She’d spelled me. She could do the same to him.
“Something’s not right here, brother. We both tracked her. We both arrived at the same house.”
That did the trick. Jonathan paced away from her, muttering under his breath. I tried to catch Esme’s eye, but her head was bowed. Her pulse raced. She couldn’t take much more of this. Her aged body would give out.
Jonathan stopped. “We took the wrong witch. Who else lives with you?” he demanded, stepping in front of Esme.
“I live with my daughter. She has no magic.”
“Do you believe her, brother?” Jonathan asked and winked at me.
He was getting restless, his instinct to kill and destroy getting the better of him. I had to do something…fast. I stepped closer to the chair Esme sat on. She turned to face me, her body trembling. She wasn’t the one. She couldn’t see the real me.
“Someone else with magic drew us to your house. Who?”
Esme stiffened. “I told you. It’s only me and my daughter. The magic didn’t pass to her. There is no one else. I’ve had the visions all my life. The same thing over and over again. Two shadows — one dark, one light.”
Her pulse raced as she spoke. She was lying. Jonathan moved even closer to her, the sweet grin on his face. “Come now, Esme. I know you’re lying. Tell me who I seek, and I will make your death quick and painless. I’m sure you don’t want your daughter harmed now, do you?” He laughed and turned to me. “We took the wrong one, brother.”
“No, Jonathan. You took the wrong one.”
“So I did.”
He turned back to Esme, his fingernails elongated. Razor-sharp points that would slice through skin and bone. She jerked back as he placed the tip of one of them to her neck. “Tell me who we seek, old lady.”
“Never,” she shouted. What happened next happened so quickly, I almost missed it. She shoved her hands forward, placing them against his chest as she mumbled. Jonathan flew backward and hit the wall. He crumpled to the floor.
She turned to me. “There’s not much time. You must protect her. She is the only one who can save you.”
“Who?” I growled.
“My granddaughter, Clara.”
“May I?” I asked, moving closer, my hands outstretched. I needed to see who she spoke of and the only way to do that was through her mind.
“Yes, but be quick. I’ve only stunned him.”
I placed my hands on either side of her head. “Think of your granddaughter.”
When Esme did as requested, I saw her. Clara, the one who might save me.
Without warning, my body sailed through the air and I slammed into the wall on the other side of the room. Scrambling to my feet, I saw Jonathan had replaced me, his hands on either side of Esme’s head as she tried to fight him off. He’ll see her. I raced across the room and tossed him aside.
“Get out of here!” I shouted at Esme as I readied for a fight. I wasn’t letting Jonathan win. Not this time.
Jonathan leaped to his feet, wings spread. “That wasn’t very nice, brother.”
My wings stretched out behind me, black with razor-sharp tips. “I won’t let you kill another innocent, Jonathan.”
His wings flapped as he hovered above the dusty floor. “Where are you going, Esme? I’m not finished playing with you.”
I shot into the air. “Run, Esme!” I shouted as I grabbed hold of his arms.
Jonathan clenched his teeth. “Let go of me, Flynn. She holds the information we seek. Don’t you want your freedom and your real body back?”
I struggled to hold him as we tumbled through the air. I just needed to give Esme time to get outside. One of his hands broke free and his fist caught the side of my face, splitting my lip. Jonathan broke free of my hold, but he wasn’t quick enough. I grabbed hold of his ankle and flung him across the room. He crashed into the crumbling brick façade, dust rising when he hit the floor, unconscious. I was beside him in seconds. I wrapped my hand around his throat and lifted him.
“Not this time, Jonathan.”
I had seconds to make a decision. Clara’s face swam in my mind. With Jonathan firmly in my grip, I took to the skies and flashed to the other side of the world. My feet touched down on a sandy beach. A deserted island. He was still unconscious. One of the downfalls of manifesting in the human world. Our bodies could be damaged. He wouldn’t be out for long, though. I placed him beside a palm tree and bound his hands. He’d get out of the binds, but at least they would slow him down. I had to get back to Esme before he woke. There was still something I had to take care of.
Running my hands through my hair, I took one last look at him. “Sorry, brother, but it’s for the best.”
I flashed back to the abandoned warehouse. Esme couldn’t have gotten very far, not on her old legs. I soared high above, my eyes trained on the ground, homing in on any movement. I spotted her a block away. A shiver ran down my spine. My brother had picked one of the worst neighborhoods. The stench of rotten food and waste wafted through the air. Rats scurried along the shadowed pathways, the pitter-patter of their feet vibrating in my eardrums.
I swooped down and landed in the alleyway. As Esme hurried past, I reached out and pulled her into the shadows, putting my hand over her mouth. Her body tensed. “It’s me, Esme,” I whispered. When I felt her relax, I turned her to face me. “I need to get you home. Do you trust me?”
She nodded. Her eyes scanned my face, but she didn’t flinch this time. “What did you do with him?” she asked, looking out at the street.
“I don’t have time to explain. You need to cloak yourself and your home. Can you do that?”
“Yes, of course, I can, but—”
I didn’t give her time to finish. With my arms wrapped tightly around her delicate frame, I flashed us to her front porch. When I released her, she stumbled, sucking in deep breaths of air as she bent over. All the color had drained from her face. I worried she might pass out.
“Are you okay?” I asked, rubbing her arms gently.
She nodded. “A little stunned, but I’m okay.”
“You don’t have much time. Your magic, your strength… It’s up for the job?”
She scowled. “Plenty of life in this old lady.”
I paused, shifting my weight from foot to foot. “There’s something else I need you to do.” I sucked in a deep breath and met her gaze. “I need you to erase my memories, take the image of your granddaughter away. If it remains in my mind, she’ll be in danger. I can’t hide anything from Jonathan, and if he finds her…”
Esme’s brow furrowed. “But what if Clara’s the one? She can help you.”
“I know, but Jonathan is reckless. You’ve seen that yourself. And…” I blew out a breath. “I’m not sure I can beat him.”
Esme reached out to touch my face. Her hand trembled. I saw fear in her eyes. “You are the light,” she whispered. “I will do as you ask. Close your eyes and I’ll remove everything.”
“Thank you,” I said, placing a hand over hers.
My eyes closed, a tingling sensation filling my head. It spread throughout my body and I inhaled deeply. Her hand pulled away, tugging images from my mind as I tried to step back. She mumbled words I couldn’t understand. My body swayed, trying to rip itself from her grip, pain pummeling my brain. Every nerve was on fire, a raging inferno slicing through me as I struggled to breathe, to move, to pull away.
Then it stopped.
Esme stepped back, and I blinked, shaking my head. Where was I, and who was the old lady staring at me?
“Who—”
She placed a finger against my lips. “Leave now before he finds you.” She turned and walked into the house.
My gaze darted from side to side. I had no idea where I was. I didn’t remember coming here. The last thing I remembered was being at home and trying to avoid Jonathan.
“Jonathan,” I gasped as I felt for him. Our bond intensified, a pull stretching across the universe. He wasn’t near. I glanced at the house in front of me once more, then took to the skies.
- Writer
