43. Damian

Chapter forty-three

Damian

T he cemetery was creepy, and I lived with ghosts. Knowing this was where the witches practiced their craft should've made me feel less creeped out because no spirits would be lingering here.

I soon realized it wasn't the fear of spirits that had caused me to dislike the cemetery, rather it was the intensity of the magic that permeated the ground here. It wasn't natural, and that bothered my need for balance. That's something I'd need to discuss with Elias later.

The witches met us at the arched entrance and took charge of Molly. I could tell they would've preferred I didn't go in, but no one complained when I followed Molly as they led her into the darkened cemetery.

A large group of witches formed a circle surrounding a pergola-like mausoleum. When we got to the center, I noticed a large stone on the ground. I knew it was a grave, but my senses told me the corpse had long ago returned to the earth .

I could tell the occupant had been a witch, therefore it made sense the coven met here. They laid Molly on the slab, and I immediately understood what kind of spell they were casting.

The tag on Owen had been small, but it still took a lot of magic to remove it. Molly had been inundated with similar tags, and the poison flowed freely through her veins. If it wasn't removed soon, she would die.

I stood back, sat on a bench not far from the slab, and watched as the witches called upon the earth to lift and cleanse her body. It wasn't literal, thank goodness, as I didn't know how I'd feel about my friend being pulled into a grave. Then they called on fire, water, and finally air.

I felt the shift in energy as each element was called. This was ancient magic, strong because of its age. Stronger still as it pulled from the very foundation of our planet. Not even the intensity of the tags within Molly could resist that level of power and magic.

Half an hour after the spellcasting began, I realized Molly would be fine. Thank the gods, she was going to be okay.

I felt the spell ending and stood, drawing my staff so that when the witches turned toward me, I could bless them for what they'd done. Molly had used dark magic, it was clear she would've had to, or she wouldn't have been so tightly wrapped in their poison.

The witches had been her only hope, and they'd done this for me. They had saved my best friend not because they owed me or wanted something from me. They'd done it because I'd asked, plain and simple.

Cary lifted Molly onto her feet and let her lean on him as they walked toward me. The entire Coven seemed to have noticed me at the same time and, like a well-choreographed dance, stopped all at once, causing me to chuckle silently.

"You have honored me tonight by saving one who light was no longer allowed to touch—someone who means a great deal to me. I will offer you this blessing as a gift for your unconditional willingness to help."

I lifted my staff, and light flew from the bottom into the graveyard, solidifying and balancing the powers there. With the balance came a promise that whatever they had here wouldn't be able to be taken away.

I knew the imbalance was possibly part of its desirability, but as the Legacy Wizard, they all knew I wouldn't be able to tolerate it. It was a compromise and a real gift. From now on, this would be sacred ground, and not even the Legacy Wizards who followed me could undo their claim.

As the power flowed through the ground, it reached up into each of the witches, and although I hadn't anticipated that, each of them received a small amount of the magic the place bestowed. Oops, I thought. I had inadvertently turned them all a little more toward the light. I hoped they all saw that as a gift. I certainly meant it to be .

Cary came forward with Molly and was about to hand her to me when my heart felt like someone had stuck a knife in it. I crumpled, grasping at my chest.

"Damian," Cary said, and I could hear concern in his voice. "Damian, are you okay?"

"No, no, something's happened to Owen!"

"Damn," Mr. Stages said. "I knew you shouldn't have trusted those degenerates with that boy."

I shook my head. "I didn't. The one the vipers have is a golem. The real Owen was supposed to be safe in his hometown."

Mrs. Patterson came up and laid her hand on my shoulder. "Damian," she whispered and helped me stand. "If the boy's been attacked, you know how dangerous that is. Let us help you rescue him, there might not be time to wait."

I looked into the old witch's eyes and nodded, knowing she understood as well as I did how dangerous Owen's capture, the capture of the Re'em unicorn, would be for our world.

"I used my staff and encircled the little group, Molly included, with a bubble of security. To be safe, I whispered, "The Re'em unicorn has returned, and he is our own Owen. We must rescue him, or horrible things will happen."