Lacybourne Manor (Ghosts and Reincarnation #3)(160)

Then, in that moment, the strangest thing happened.

* * * * *

Old Lady Griffin dashed into the clearing, wielding her cane like a battle axe and screaming like a banshee.

Everyone, even the figure standing and watching, even Royce himself, stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at her in stupefaction.

With an almighty swoop of her arms that was borne half out of fury, half out of terror, she crashed the cane against the face of one of Royce’s attackers.

Instantly smashing his jaw and his cheekbone, sending shards of bone into his brain.

Instantly breaking the dark soul’s dark spell.

From the other side of the clearing, the town’s midwife and resident witch, Esmeralda Crane bounded forward and moved her arm before her in a downward slash. With a flash of green-white light, the watching figure flew across the clearing and slammed against the trunk of a tree. There it stayed frozen, invisibly pinned.

Royce broke out of his stunned freeze and dispatched two more attackers, one with a blade to the heart then he whirled expertly and took out the other one with a slice across the throat.

Then Beatrice surged into the clearing with what could have been credited as a pretty decent war cry (if Royce hadn’t been so infuriated by her very presence) and she jumped on the back of the last of the attackers. She pulled at his hair as he blundered about in vicious circles, trying to dislodge her.

Royce, with immense patience and controlled anger, strolled up behind them. He grasped Beatrice by hooking an arm about her waist and pulled her from the man, calmly setting her down behind him.

He then buried his blade in the man’s gut and yanked it savagely upward.

Before the attacker had fully fallen to the ground, Royce whipped around to Beatrice. “I thought I told you to go to the witch’s cottage!” he barked.

“I couldn’t leave you out here by yourself!” she flashed back, her eyes, even in the darkened, rainy evening, he could see were emerald green.

He looked to the heavens, praying to the good Lord above for patience.

* * * * *

The wraith slashed the blade against Sibyl’s throat and Colin let out a ferocious roar as Sibyl emitted a blood-chilling scream.

But instead of penetrating, the blade glanced off her throat in a magical shower of green-white sparks, leaving Sibyl untouched and alive.

Then Bran flew from the curtain rod, a low, frightening, continuous growl rolling from his feline throat. He landed on the spectre that held Sibyl. The phantom gave a start at this turn of events, its hold loosened on Sibyl and she tore free.

Hissing and spitting, Bran slashed at the spectre with his claws and the ghost struggled to fight back against this strange, unexpected aggressor.

Then, the figure that Sibyl had seen watching from the doorway all of a sudden, with a flash of green-white light, flew across the room. It slammed against the opposite wall and was pinned there, frozen and held captive by invisible shackles. Marian, her arm lifted and pointing at the figure, calmly walked in the room.

Then, all of a sudden, the bedroom was flooded with people.

First came Rick, roaring in like a bull and, without even noticing he was battling a corporeal ghost, he simply started to beat the living (or not-so-living) daylights out of it.

Then came Kyle, who jogged in and took a look around, his brows lifting momentarily, he then swooped down on one of the two wraiths with whom Colin was still struggling and pulled him away.

Then another man, who Sibyl had never seen before, came tearing into the room and stopped dead, immobile at what he saw. Then, with nothing for it, he surged forward and spelled Bran who dropped from his ghost and ran from the room.

Then, with a strange, eerie, final-sounding pop, Rick’s spectre just disappeared with Rick in mid-swing.

Then, not a few seconds later, Kyle’s did the same.

Then, the other one went with another pop, leaving the unknown man literally spinning on his feet

And finally, Colin threw off the last and as it flew through the air of the room, there was a final crack and one moment they all saw it flying and less than a second later, it was gone.

Without hesitation, Colin whirled on Sibyl. “I thought I told you to go to the sanctuary!” he barked.

“I couldn’t leave you here to fight them alone!” she snapped.

He stared at her angrily for a moment and then lifted his eyes toward the ceiling and she was relatively certain he was praying for patience.

* * * * *

With a menacing stride, Royce walked toward the figure pinned to the trunk of the tree.

The witch still had her arm lifted. Royce knew, even though he didn’t want to believe, that the woman was holding the figure captive using something Royce refused to believe existed.

Magic.

Royce approached the tree and he felt Beatrice close behind him and when he stopped, he made sure she stayed well behind him by roughly pushing her there with his arm.

The figure was cloaked, the hood hiding his face.

“Who are you?” Royce demanded.

With a flick of her hand, the Esmeralda Crane unmasked the figure.

Royce drew in his breath as he heard Beatrice gasp behind him.

* * * * *

Colin stalked with menacing strides toward the figure pinned to the wall.

Marian was clearly holding it there with her arm still aloft. Colin didn’t even want to think what that meant.

He felt Sibyl close behind him and when he stopped, he made sure she stayed behind him by pushing her there with his arm.