Al’s frantic voice brought me back, “The demons are too close the rim. We are going to try to push them back. You two hold your positions. Whatever you do, don’t stop!”

I watched as a demon climbed closer to the mouth of the pit. It had the deformed figure of the demons in my vision. Its eyes burned red, and his skin was slick. He crawled to the edge of the hole, like darkness creeping from a grave. The demon neared the edge, slowly climbing the slick walls with its taloned fingers. A snake like tongue protruded from its reptilian face as it stopped near the edge. “My Queen. You released us.” Its tongue flicked, and licked its burning eye. “A life for a life.” His eyes looked behind him, and then flicked back to me. His breath smelled like cabbage.

“You can go back to where you came from,” I said, trying to sound more confident that I felt. Sweat beaded, and ran down my spine.

Its tongue wet his other eye, and then slid back into its mouth. “You will serve us, whether you accept today or we force you on another. You’ve no choice.” My heart raced. The cut on my cheek burned. Ignoring it, I reached for the place inside of me, and pulled out every drop of strength I had left, trying to hold the massive shadow. The demon slid back several feet, and flashed his teeth at me. They were several rows that were pointed like kitchen knives. Some of his previous meals were still stuck in the crevices. “Ivy Taylor will be queen!” I shivered when it said my name, fighting every instinct to flee.

Looking at the group of Martis, I was wondering what was taking them so long. Eric conjured light into a massive sphere in seconds, but the lot of them didn’t have enough light to make a street lamp. My heart fluttered. I couldn’t call light to push that thing back down. And it wanted me. I felt my face grimace as I looked at it, and couldn’t hide my disgust.

Her perky voice made me think I was hallucinating. “Ivy Taylor will not be queen today.” Jenna Marie, clad in solid pink, walked up next to me like she was at a picnic.

Frantic, I said, “Jenna Marie! Run! Run away from here! Now!” I strained, weakening under the shadow’s massive weight. Jenna Marie put her hand on my shoulder. Then she stood next to me. I urged her, “You can’t stay here! Leave! They’ll kill you!” I shouted at her, but she tisked me. She friggin’ tisked me!

“Ivy, calm down,” she said. “Let’s send these things back to where they came from.” She smiled her pink lips at me, and withdrew a silver ring from her finger. The blue mark instantly appeared, glittering above her brow. My jaw dropped. She was a Martis! Why the hell is everyone around me a Martis or a Valefar! I glared at her. She ignored me, still pleasant and perky. “Hey Althea! Long time no see!” She threw her power into their circle of dimly lit spheres. When Jenna Marie added her sphere of light to the rest, it was enough. The orbs slid down the side of the pit, illuminating the horrors below. Demons clung to the walls of the pit like roaches, crawling swiftly to the top. When the light passed over them, some slid back down, while others lost their grip and fell. It bought us a few minutes.

I yelled to Eric, “I’m going to try to get the key. No matter what happens, do not stop. You have to hold the light where it is or I’ll lose control of the shadow.”

Eric nodded, looking concerned. “Ivy how are you… ?” His sentence trailed off as he watched me.

Pressing my finger to the ruby ring, I held the shadow in place. It was leaving me breathless to hold something so large for so long, but I knew I had to get the key, or everything would be in vein. It worked before with a person. Now, I hoped I could do it with an object. I rubbed the ruby stone concentrating on the ivory peonies surrounded by the shining black disc. I saw the black chain that held the pendant in the hollow of my throat. I could almost feel the smoothness of the black stone on the back of the pendant slide into my palm.

Reaching out, I felt for it with my mind. Through the shadows, and glistening slime in the pit, I saw it in the wall at the top of the rim. Swallowing hard I focused. The cold corpse-like fingers of the shadow didn’t like the flames licking my stomach, as I attempted to efanotate the pendant into my hand. The shadows tried to recoil as the flames traveled through my body, but I fought to hold them.

I screamed out as the two manifestations of evil warred within me, but I released neither. They were slaves, like all Valefar, and had to do what they were told. I bid the necklace to appear in my palm. As the feeling of being burned alive and consumed by cold death covered my body, I doubled over, clutching my stomach. I was combining things that didn’t want to go together, forming a new kind of torture. Pressing my eyes closed as tightly as possible, I held onto the heat knowing that in a few seconds the pendant would be in my palm. I just had to be strong enough to call it and hold the shadows at the same time. Fire burned through my bones and icy death stroked my twitching muscles. I cried out again.

Soon. I’ll have it soon. Don’t let go. The voices around me no longer made sense. It sounded like I was in a tunnel and they were far away. I could no longer hold my palm open, waiting for the necklace. My fists closed, as my body was raked with pain. I crouched on the ground refusing to release either power. A scream rose up from my throat as the fire seared, white hot, and then faded. The fist that I had clenched so tightly that my nails pierced my flesh was holding something. I forced my fingers to uncurl. Apryl’s necklace was in the center of my palm.

I felt my body failing fast. The shadows had been fighting the heat so intensely that they did not stop when the heat receded. The shadow’s frozen nature threatened to consume me whole. My body shook as I tried to stand. Holding my trembling body upright, I open my palm and commanded the shadow, “Go.” It knew what to do. The shadow left my palm in a wide black ribbon, as cold traveled up my throat tore out of my mouth. Although it looked like the shadow flew from my hand, my body felt like it was being ripped from my stomach, slicing its way up my throat, and out of my mouth. Demon power was painfully cruel.

I tried to push back the hurt, but the shadow had grown so intense that I couldn’t. I closed my eyes, as it wound its way around the pit, starting at the center. Ribbon after ribbon was laid down forming a black barricade. When I opened my eyes only the rim was left open uncovered, and the shadow was quickly closing it. The last black ribbon touched the edge of the salt circle on the far side, beginning to seal the portal.

The ground shook, as the demons raced faster to the top. The walls of the pit began to crumble and fall in. Each time the outer edge crumbled, it was replaced with solid ground, and the salt circle shrank. The portal was closing itself. Breathing raggedly, I held the shadow until the circle collapsed. I had to be sure.

The demon that had spoken to me before was at the rim, trapped under a black film. “Queen. Collin Smith lives. And you will be Queen.” His gurgling voice was hushed when the ground covered over him, and sealed the hole.

Shaking, I swallowed hard, and opened my palm to release the shadow. Its frigid hold on me was stripped out of my throat, making my spine arch in a painful at the response. It left my body and flew back into the ground in front of the church. I collapsed. It was so cold. I was barely aware of the others around me. Haze filled my vision, as I tried to hold my eyes open. My face lay against the frozen earth, and a nearby light faded into a beautiful pale blue. Then the blackness engulfed me.

Slowly, I opened my eyes, trying to figure out where I was. I was no longer raked with cold, although my vision was still clouded. I sat up slowly, and groaned as my body protested.

“Easy, Ivy.” It was Eric’s voice, although I couldn’t make out more than a shadowy outline of him.

“What happened? Where am I?” My voice was raspy and it hurt to speak. It felt like I was lying on a hard cot.

Eric’s blurred form sat across from me. “We’re at Al’s church. We took you back here when you didn’t come to.”

“How long? How long have I been out?” I rasped, rubbing my eyes. Why wouldn’t they focus?

“A few days.” He said softly. “I was worried you weren’t going to wake up. Are you all right?”

I didn’t know. Quietly, I sat there for a moment, blinking, forgetting that I would never forgive him. My vision wouldn’t clear. I swallowed hard, “I can’t see. Everything is hazy.”

Eric sat next to me. His hands were on my face, as he said, “Let me see.”

His face was very close to mine. I could feel his warm breath, but I couldn’t see him any better. My heart raced as I started to panic because my eyes refused to focus. Finally I asked, “What happened to me?”

Eric said, “You saved everyone. It’s making Julia’s head spin, since she thought you were supposed to be evil.”

I gave a little hollow laugh. “I’m stupid. Not evil.”

“No, you’re not. I told you already. You’re smarter than anyone I know.” He paused, and took my hand. I didn’t pull away, although dread pooled in my stomach. He said, “I need to tell you something, but I want Shannon to take a look at your eyes first. Please Ivy. I need to talk to you. Okay?” I said nothing, turning away from him. He sighed, and walked away. My heart sunk. He wanted a chance to explain what happened with Apryl. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know. I couldn’t take more heartbreak. It wouldn’t undo what was done. She was dead, and somehow he was responsible.

Shannon and Al came into the room, followed by Eric. Julia snapped for Eric. He left, following her down the hall. I said, “She doesn’t sound happy.”

“She’s never happy,” Shannon said softly. “Let me look at your eyes.” Shannon’s hands were on my face before I could say anything. She turned my head, shining a tiny light into my eyes. The pinpoint of light cut through the haze, slowly melting it away. I sat very still, wondering how she did that. I expected to see a laser in her hand, or something similar, as the haze that distorted my vision melted away. But, instead I saw a tiny orb of pale blue light. She prodded the light, moved it, and poured it onto my eyes. When she was done, my vision was restored.

I blinked at her, stunned. “How did you learn to do that?”

She shrugged, “I didn’t. It’s innate. When someone needs healing, a Dyconisi knows what to do.” She smiled at me, and threw her arms around my shoulders. “I’m glad you’re here.”

I hugged her back and said, “Me too.”

When she released me, she said, “That thing lied, you know?” Her green eyes looked worried. I nodded, unable to answer. I wanted to believe that Collin was alive. But I couldn’t. The sadness of that certainty clung to me.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

I sat at the St. Bart’s with Sister Al. In the past month, she’d helped me adjust. Most of the Martis left, Julia went back to Rome, and life resumed. I grieved as we buried my mom, and sorted out what was left of my life. It wasn’t much. Mom had left me some money, so I didn’t have to live in a box. But I lost everything.

And everyone.

All the memories, the things I had from my mom and sister—they all burned. There wasn’t even a photograph remaining. The only thing I had left was the necklace, and comb that Apryl gave me. Shannon had saved them the night of the battle. I was so consumed by shock when Collin went over the edge that I didn’t notice he’d left them behind.