Enflame (Insight #6)(88)

“Not without them,” I protested, but that protest was in vain. Both Monroe and Madison vanished at that moment.

The ground began to shake violently.

“Now!” he said again.

Even if I had an argument, my soul was not listening. The next instant, I was watching Draven finish his song.

Landen said something to Brady, then he vanished, only to appear at my side. Phoenix was across the stage, next to Drake. He nodded to Landen, then the warm air wrapped around us, carrying us away.

It had to have been the distance that made me dizzy before because this time it was worse. I felt my knees buckle right when the air went away.

Landen caught me. I wasn’t entirely sure where we were in the palace, but I thought I recognized the hall.

“What is wrong with her?” I heard Drake demand. Phoenix must have carried him here.

Landen’s hands were on my face. “Can you find a memory for me?”

I must have looked as weak as I felt, and only the memory of us would save me at this point. I pulled in long, deep breaths, feeling balance come to me, but something was off. I wasn’t thinking about control, but my emotions were not creating anything around us. Even when my heart began to beat wildly, nothing happened. Fear took over. I must have done something wrong. I was missing the one insight that had been my hell over the last few days.

“I lost it,” I muttered, almost in selfish relief.

“Not all of it,” Landen said quietly to me. “Not the part that matters,” he said as his eyes glanced to my chest, to where my heart was.

“He took it from me?” I asked, trying to focus.

“We lost a part of both of them, mate,” Phoenix said as I nodded to tell Landen I had my balance.

“To who?” Drake seethed.

“Xavier,” Landen said as his eyes drifted to the open doorway feet from us. “But we’ve got bigger problems now.”

Pushing me behind him, Landen advanced with Phoenix toward the door. Drake came to Landen’s other side.

Following them, I realized where I was: this was the room Donalt died in, the one that led to the looking glass.

It was dim, but I felt Perodine and Marc in there. I could only assume Alamos was not far away.

As the three of them moved farther into the room, I saw the same pentagram I’d created before, only it looked as if it were painted on the floor. Small candles marked the points of the star.

I glanced to my side, seeing more images than I felt. There were at least twenty people blocking the path to the looking glass.

I furrowed my brow, wondering why they were absent to me. The second I focused on them, I felt them. It was odd, like I had to think to feel them – when less than an hour ago, I not only felt everything, but it was reflected all around me.

Landen, Phoenix, and Drake spread out along what could only be a trap that Landen had made.

Several tense, silent moments passed. I was starting to think that the part about the dead falling was wrong and wanted to go home and make sure the kids were fine, that they were not sucked into some deep meditation – but before I could suggest that we do just that, the air grew cold and the floor began to rumble.

In the center of the circle that held the pentagram, an image began to form, a grotesque image. The smell of burning flesh manifested, causing me to cover my mouth with my fist so I would not get sick.

The image had its back to us. In a flash, it turned to face where Landen and the others were standing. It was only one-third man. The rest was either missing or charred, barely recognizable.

Drake went to throw everything he had at the image, but Landen held his hand out to stop him.

“The fastest way to get what was taken is to hold him as ransom.”

“Hold me?” the image that could only be Donalt’s bellowed. “You fool! The fact that I am here states that you’ve lost.”

“Are you trying to be ironic? You’re dead!” Drake seethed. “You’re an evil son of a bitch who needs to learn when to quit.”

“You’re a stupid son of a bitch,” Donalt said in an exhausted tone, glaring at Drake. “We could have had it all, you and I. I warned you, didn’t I? Told you they would fool you. Why did you not listen?”

“You will not reside in my soul. No one fools me,” Drake threw back at him.

Donalt laughed at him, shaking his grotesque head from side to side. “Now you’ll never know, will you...which one is real?” Donalt sauntered to the edge of his trap. “Or will you? Take me in now, and you will have the right one—no doubt, son.”

Drake spit in his face as Phoenix shifted so he could hold Landen back.

Donalt raised his hand of decaying flesh and wiped away the spit. “I don’t want your mind, your heart, or your soul. I just want to share the body. You can have her, hold her for all of eternity. You will never live in doubt or wonder if they just threw you a bone to chew on while they took over your kingdom, a kingdom I built for you.”

“What kingdom? I only see Hell,” Drake said, glaring at him.

“I see power.”

Drake crossed his arms and glanced to Landen and Phoenix. “What are we waiting on?”

“Xavier,” Phoenix stated. “He’ll try to get him out.”

“Save your energy for him,” Landen ordered.

Which only made Donalt laugh. “How do those strings feel, puppet? How long before you see that he is blinding you?”