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With a heavy heart, I change into my training gear, as tired as I am. I’ll have to draw on my last reserves of strength because one thing is for sure: Alfredo is pissed, and he’s going to take it out on me.
I stroke Yoru’s furry head, and he closes his eyes appreciatively.
“We’ll get through this somehow, and then hopefully we can get some rest.” I’m trying to be positive, but it’s not easy.
Alfredo is pacing restlessly around the training room. When I enter, he raises his head and looks at me. I take no more than three steps toward him before the first hex hurtles at me. It takes me by surprise, and I barely have time to throw up my arm to protect my face and instinctively close my eyes. The force of the magic tears at my clothing and sweeps me off my feet. But I’m uninjured, and I soon see why: Yoru threw himself in front of me to intercept the hex. But I sense that something’s not right, and when he takes a step, I see it. There’s a gaping wound on his right flank, and he’s limping.
“Are you okay?” I ask, quickly kneeling down beside him. I shield him with my arms, and I’m about to take a closer look at his wound when a fist of dust punches up through the floor and comes crashing down right beside us.
I throw myself and Yoru aside. “Are you insane? Can’t you see that he’s injured?”
“Do you think anyone would care about that in a real fight?”
Several columns of dust twist up out of the floor and chase me around the room. I pick up Yoru and try to dodge them.
“That’s so stupid, what you’re doing,” he says calmly.
More columns shoot up beside and behind me. Soil and stones fly in every direction, but I’m undeterred.
“You need to let your fox fight. You can’t afford to protect him like that,” Alfredo taunts.
A wall of dust explodes above me. Stones and chunks of dirt rain down, and I try desperately to dodge the debris. But a large chunk of rock hits me in the shoulder, and I go down. All I can do is lie on the floor and shield Yoru with my body. A ton of dust rains down on my back. It piles up in a mound on top of me until I’m struggling to breathe. I try to create space for me and Yoru by pushing the dark soil aside. We need to breathe if nothing else. Eventually I manage to dig a hole for us to breathe and see through. I try to peer out, and then I hear footfalls, heavy and loud. I can’t see, but I know what’s approaching. And I know why. Alfredo’s spirit is charging at us. I try to push myself up, to somehow get away, but the soil’s too heavy. I can still move one leg. I look down at it, and Casio comes into view. I swing my leg and kick out at the spirit.
Yoru squirms in my arms. He’s struggling to free himself so he can help me. Finally, he succeeds. He turns and summons a hex, but it’s too late. I scream as Alfredo’s spirit’s teeth pierce my pants and sink into my flesh. The poison follows a second later. Heat shoots through my veins. It spreads out, and then it’s replaced by an icy chill and all-consuming pain. I scream and thrash. I’m vaguely aware of a fireball flying past me. But it’s too late. I’m struggling to breathe, and the pain feels like it could rip me apart. After what feels like an eternity, redeeming darkness overcomes me.
I gradually regain consciousness, but I get the fright of my life. Because I’m back in that place. That horrific place that I never wanted to see again.
It’s cool in the cellar, and the damp earthy odor fills my nostrils. Or are these just memories? It feels so real …
I turn around in the room and discover that I’m alone – for now. I know I’m in danger. I can feel it like an icy hand reaching out for me.
I turn toward the stairs that lead up to freedom, away from this horror. But my feet won’t move. No matter how hard I try, they won’t obey me.
At that moment, the little door on the opposite wall opens. A black hole yawns behind it. I know what I’ll see in there. The stench of decomposing bodies drifts out and assaults my nose. I bend forward with my hands on my thighs and retch. The key spirits are in there. I don’t want to think about the way they suffered before they died. But I can’t get the images out of my head.
My feet suddenly start moving, carrying me toward that room. I cry out, try to resist, but I’m powerless. I’m approaching the door, and then I’m there, I go through it. I see the spirits – their mutilated bodies in cages. I close my eyes and sob.
“What the … what the hell …” I hear a horrified voice say beside me. I turn and see Noah. A wave of relief floods through me, but it’s fleeting. Then come the next sounds.
“You’re lucky I made time for you. And then you keep me waiting. I’ll be right there – yeah right,” I hear Alessandro say irritably.
“I got here as fast as I could,” says Frances.
My heart starts racing. Not again, I pray silently. Please, not again. But that’s exactly what happens. Alessandro finds us, and a fight breaks out. He combines fire and wind, creating a gigantic sea of flame that rushes at Noah. He manages to deflect much of the attack and divert Alessandro’s attention. But then he flings his arms in the air, and the fiery vortex explodes above us and rains down. Everything that comes into contact with the spitting fire starts to burn.
Alessandro’s skin takes on a bluish hue at first, then red, and I know that he’s in the process of combining two elements again. Suddenly, there’s a layer of ice around my legs trying to crush them. The pain is almost unbearable. I never wanted to experience anything like this again.
“Tess,” Noah calls out as Alessandro’s leopard rears up at him. Noah raises his hands, and smoky flames shoot out of them and envelop the key spirit. At the same time, Rain lunges at the leopard and bites into its flank.
“Noah!” echoes Frances’ piercing cry, and then I see it too. Alessandro is holding a knife, which he draws back and thrusts down at Noah. He plunges it into his shoulder, then pulls out the blade and tries to stab him again. It’s clear to all of us that this time it’ll be a lethal strike.
Frances’ bear hurls a hex at him. Alessandro is flung several yards and lands near the wall. Noah quickly goes to Frances, who stares at him and then tells him about Jacob.
“I had no choice,” she continues. “I had to bring him the key spirits. He was calling all the shots.”
“You could have come to me. I would have helped you.”
“Nobody can help me,” she mutters with quiet sorrow.
