Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Justice's grip on my hand tightened as we hurtled through the forest at supernatural speed.

Behind us, I could sense the others. Garrick's labored breathing, Zara's occasional gasp as she struggled to keep up with our inhuman pace, and Damon… Well, Damon was a whole different story.

"For fuck's sake, Justice!" my brother snarled, his voice dripping with irritation. "I can run on my own, you bloodsucking control freak!"

Despite the gravity of our situation, I couldn't help but smirk. Leave it to Damon to complain about how we were fleeing for our lives.

Justice skidded to a halt. The abrupt stop sent a jolt through my body, and I stumbled as the world snapped back into focus. Leaves and twigs crunched under our feet as the others collided with us, a tangle of limbs and startled exclamations.

"What the—" Garrick started, but Justice silenced him with a sharp gesture.

I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the sudden stillness. Before us loomed the ancient tree stump, its gnarled surface etched with countless years of history. But something was wrong. The clearing was empty, devoid of the chaotic scene I had anticipated.

My heart pounded as I scanned the area, expecting to see Maci and her horde of demons emerging from the shadows at any moment. Yet only silence and the faint rustling of leaves in the breeze replied.

"I don't understand," I whispered. "Where are they? Where's Maci?"

Justice's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the clearing. "Something's not right," he murmured. "Be on your guard, all of you."

As we stood clustered at the edge of the clearing, an uneasy feeling settled over us. The absence of our expected foes was somehow more terrifying than any confrontation we had prepared for. Whatever was coming, we all sensed it would be far worse than we had imagined.

Suddenly, the air shimmered and distorted like heat waves rising from sunbaked asphalt. A faint, iridescent glow appeared, growing stronger by the second. We took instinctive steps back, our bodies tense with anticipation.

The glow intensified, coalescing into three distinct shapes. In a flash of brilliant light that momentarily blinded us, the empty space abruptly filled. Our vision cleared, and we found ourselves face-to-face with an unexpected trio.

Lisa stood at the center, her expression filled with determination and regret. A magnificent phoenix perched to her right, its feathers a mesmerizing blend of crimson and gold, embers smoldering at the tips of its wings. On her left, a muscular German shepherd stood at attention, its intelligent gaze scanning our group warily.

The sudden materialization left us speechless. It was as if they had stepped through an invisible doorway, crossing some mystical threshold that separated our realities. The air around them crackled with residual energy, tiny sparks of magic dissipating into the forest.

Lisa's gaze locked onto ours, and her voice broke the stunned silence. "I'm sorry, but Maci is making me do this."

The tension in the clearing ratcheted up another notch as we all realized the confrontation we had been dreading was about to begin in a form none of us had anticipated.

Zara blurted, "Flames of truth, bind and reveal! Break the chains of deceit and let free will prevail!"

The words tumbled from her lips with an urgency that surprised even her. The air crackled as her improvised spell took shape.

Lisa's eyes widened, her hand freezing in mid-gesture toward Aurora. Everything stood still, as if the forest was holding its breath to see what would happen next.

I studied Lisa and her beloved animals, my heart twisting with relief and guilt. They stood frozen, as still as ancient statues weathered by time. Lisa's eyes were glassy and unfocused. Her phoenix, Aurora, was caught mid-ruffle, fiery feathers suspended in an unnatural stillness. Even her loyal German shepherd seemed carved from stone, its protective stance an eerie tableau.

The scene was a chilling echo of what had happened to Garrick, Maggie, Grady, and Scott. Friends and allies, all reduced to living statues. A lump formed in my throat as I struggled to reconcile the Lisa I knew with the threat she had become.

"What did you do?" I whispered.

Zara's face was a mask of conflicting emotions. Pride at her successful spell, fear of its consequences, and a deep, gnawing worry that creased her brow. She stared at the frozen figures uneasily, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

"I used a stun spell," she explained tightly. "It was the only thing I could think of to stop them without causing harm, but it won't last long." She swallowed hard, her eyes darting nervously between Lisa and the majestic, immobilized phoenix. "We have to get out of here before she breaks free by drawing on the phoenix's power."

We had bought ourselves a moment of safety, but at what cost? Lisa's betrayal stung, but seeing her like this, robbed of her free will first by Maci and now by us, felt like a cruel twist of fate.

I couldn't shake the feeling that every choice we made was leading us farther down a path from which there might be no return. The tension was like a ticking time bomb ready to explode as we stood caught between the need to escape and the shock of what we'd done to Lisa and her companions.

Zara's warning about the temporary nature of her spell spurred us into action.

"We need to move, now," Justice growled, scanning the tree line for any sign of additional threats. "I can hear Maci approaching. She's flying at a record speed."

Garrick stepped forward with grim determination. He raised his hand, palm out toward an empty space between two ancient oaks. His eyes closed in concentration, and the only sound was the rustling of leaves in the gentle forest breeze.

Then, his eyes snapped open, glowing with an inner light. " Aperio ," he intoned, his voice resonating with power.

The air in front of him shimmered and twisted as if the fabric of reality was being torn apart. A swirling vortex of iridescent energy bloomed into existence, growing until it was large enough for us to step through.

"Quick," Garrick urged, gesturing toward the portal. "I can't hold it for long."

I cast one last glance at Lisa's frozen form, my heart heavy with the weight of our actions and the uncertainty of what lay ahead. Then, I steeled myself and turned toward the portal, ready to leap into whatever chaos awaited us on the other side.

As Garrick followed me, a dark shadow fell over him, and an angry shriek set my nerves on edge. Maci released a stream of fire as the portal closed. Smoke filled the portal, and I choked on the fumes. I landed on all fours, coughing and sputtering, tears rolling down my cheeks.

Someone picked me up and held me.

The world slowly came back into focus, sounds and sensations flooding in like a rising tide. Hands gripped me under my armpits, supporting me. The cobblestones beneath me were uneven and cool through my shoes.

"Sawyer, are you hurt?" A familiar voice cut through the haze, laced with concern.

As my vision cleared, Justice's face swam into view, his dark eyes scanning me for any sign of injury.

"I'm fine," I rasped. "A little out of breath." The adrenaline was still coursing through my veins, making my hands tremble.

I took in our surroundings, blinking against the sudden shift from forest to city. We were in a narrow close off the Royal Mile, Edinburgh's ancient heartbeat pulsing nearby.

The walls of old stone buildings loomed on either side, their weathered facades telling silent stories of centuries past. At the end of the alley, a small church stood sentinel, its spire reaching toward the overcast sky. The muted light of a Scottish afternoon bathed the scene, lending an almost ethereal quality to our group.

"Did everyone else make it out alive?" I asked, my gaze darting from face to face, counting our numbers. "Did Maci follow us?"

Garrick stepped forward, his clothes singed and his face smudged with soot. "No, I was the last one out." He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "I felt the heat on my back, but the fire didn't reach me. We were damn lucky." The relief in his voice was palpable.

Damon slumped against the nearest wall, looking like he'd gone ten rounds with a wendigo. His usual cocky grin was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a grimace that screamed, I'm never doing that again.

"Oh yeah, I'm friggin' fantastic," he growled sarcastically. He ran a hand down his face as if trying to wipe away the experience. "You know what? I take back every bad thing I ever said about flying. Compared to whatever the hell that was, planes are a luxury cruise."

He pushed himself off the wall, swaying as he tried to regain his composure. "Next time, I'm walking. Or staying behind. Or hey, maybe I'll let the bad guys eat me. Anything's gotta be better than magical mystery tours with Count Dracula over there."

Justice stiffened. "I didn't take you through the portal. Garrick did."

"Both modes of transportation suck," he grumbled.

Maggie's wide eyes reflected the leaden sky above. She looked up as if expecting to see a dragon swooping down upon us at any moment. "What do we do now?" Her voice was small, almost childlike in its uncertainty.

I rummaged through my backpack, my fingers closing around the cool, smooth surface of the hourglass. The weight of it, both physical and metaphorical, was a stark reminder of the task ahead. "Damon, Justice, Zara, and I have to go back in time," I stated as I pulled out the artifact.

Maggie's brow furrowed, confusion and a hint of hurt crossing her features. "Why not all of us?"

Garrick squeezed her hand reassuringly. "We're not the Chosen Ones, remember?" he explained gently before turning to me with understanding in his eyes. "She's got to use the hourglass to go back and try to stop this madness." His gaze met mine, a silent communication passing between us. "You're going back right before Brody sacrificed himself, aren't you?"

I nodded, dread resting on my shoulders like a vulture. "Yes. We need to go back before Lisa betrays us. If we stop her, Maci doesn't get the Crown of Envy, and Brody doesn't die."

"You hope." Justice's whisper was barely audible, but in the tense silence of the close, it rang out like a bell. "We're taking a gamble on this. Maci may have already guessed our plan and could be lying in wait."

I gripped the hourglass tighter, feeling its power thrumming beneath my fingers. The enormity of what we were about to attempt pressed in on me from all sides, as oppressive as the narrow walls. But beneath the fear and uncertainty, a spark of determination flickered to life.

I gritted my teeth. "It's a chance we have to take." This was it. The moment of truth on whether everything we'd gone through was enough to retrieve the Crown of Envy and save Brody.