With a deep breath, I let go of all restraint and tapped into everything I had. A massive wave of energy erupted from my body, tearing through the air and rippling towards Carlo and his army.
Just as Heath’s mother and Anna stepped in front of him.
Enzo and Heath both cried out, and I tried to call it back, but it was too late.
As the wave of energy crashed into Carlo’s front henchmen, they were sent reeling backward, their wicked snarls turning into howls of pain. A surge of power coursed through my veins, pulsing like a second heartbeat. I felt the Reaper within me roar, its fury echoing in the depths of my soul. My hands trembled as I embraced its strength, and with a guttural scream, I let loose a torrent of energy that blasted Carlo’s henchmen in all directions, redirecting the wave away from Anna and Helene, who promptly disappeared with Carlo.
As I stood there, my chest heaving with exertion, I noticed something strange about the fallen – and June. The cleaver was silent metal as I passed some, but when I neared the others, whose eyes were clouded, the edge of the knife flickered to life. It dawned on me then why June was silent with some and not others. The ones where the cleaver lay dormant were just regular evil. Like Carlo himself – no demonic or Unconsecrated influence necessary. I hated them the most. They had no excuse.
These others, whose eyes were tormented, were not mere human wizards who followed Carlo on their own – they were possessed by dark entities that fed off their suffering.
“Enzo! Riley! They’re possessed!” I cried out. “I have to free them!”
“Are you sure, Sierra?” Enzo asked, casting a worried glance at the people writhing on the ground. “They deserve whatever they get.”
“I’m certain,” I replied. “I can’t just abandon them to this fate.”
Channeling the raw power coursing through me, I reached out towards the suffering, my inner Reaper seeking the dark entities that held them captive. As I made contact, tendrils of darkness snaked from their bodies, shrieking in pain as they were forced to release their hosts.
“Thank you,” one dying man croaked, his voice hoarse and weak. “You saved us.”
My heart pounded as I watched the bodies convulsing and writhing on the ground. Each strike of my cleaver sent another dark entity shrieking into oblivion, freeing its host from a terrible existence. I steeled myself, focusing on each individual, refusing to leave even one of them suffering under Carlo’s control.
“Sierra, you’re doing it!” Riley’s voice rang out, filled with admiration and pride. It was all the encouragement I needed to continue, despite the bone-deep exhaustion that threatened to bring me to my knees.
“Almost there,” I breathed, gritting my teeth against the mounting pain in my head. With every ounce of strength left in me, I pushed through the remaining darkness, banishing the last of the demonic entities.
My momentary relief was shattered by Carlo’s mocking laughter. “Impressive for a little white trash witch, Sierra. But I still have a few more tricks up my sleeve.”
The insult rolled off me in the wake of something more pressing. Along with Helene and Anna, the Healer, Daniel, stood smirking beside Carlo.
“Daniel?” My mind couldn’t process it. “What are you doing?”
He laughed. “Helping the only real friend I’ve got.”
“Real friend?” I echoed, still wanting to accept the truth. Did he mean Anna? Was he going along with Carlo to help her? He must be…
His cold smile twisted into something even more sinister as he pointed his wand at Enzo and the others. “Anna, kill them.”
My heart clenched with fear as Anna turned towards Enzo and me, her expression completely blank. She was still the demon’s control, which I had thought was under Carlo’s command.
I’d been tragically wrong.
“Anna, don’t!” I threw myself between her and Enzo, my hands shooting up in defense as she launched herself towards us.
But instead of attacking, Anna began to tremble violently. Light from the cleaver’s blade was seeping through her body, slowly breaking Daniel’s hold over her. In that moment, I saw remorse flicker in her eyes, a silent plea for forgiveness.
“Enzo, watch out!” I warned, my voice tight with urgency. With effort, I pushed my power towards Anna.
“Sierra, what are you doing?” Enzo whispered, while Carlo and Daniel laughed.
“Trying to save her,” I replied, my voice strained as I focused on channeling my power into Anna. “We can’t let him control her like this.”
“Be careful,” Enzo whispered, his gaze tracking Carlo.
“Heath!”
My concentration wavered for a moment when Helene screamed. Daniel was pointing his wand toward her son.
The next few seconds seemed to pass in slow motion, and I stood frozen, watching it happen.
Helene jumped in front of Heath and took the blow, a bloom of red spreading quickly across her chest where it had been torn open.
Torin shot a spell toward the healer, now turned killer.
Daniel deflected it easily. “The little boys still think they beat the grownups?”
Carlo laughed as Daniel sent Torin flying into the trees, even as Heath gathered his mother’s body. Riley used the moment to shoot a bolt from his wand that caught Daniel in head and sent him crashing to the ground. Before Carlo could react, Riley escaped toward the woods where Torin had fallen.
Anna broke loose from my power while I was distracted, and before I could reach her, Carlo raised his wand towards Enzo, a deadly spell forming at its tip. Panic surged through me, drowning out all rational thoughts.
“Enzo, move!” I screamed, but it was too late. The spell hurtled towards him, and everything seemed to slow down even more, the air thick with tension and magic.
As natural as breathing, I tapped into my Reaper powers to increase my speed and strength. My heart raced as I sprinted towards Carlo, determined to protect Enzo at all costs, but the cleaver in my hand had gone silent once more.
“Carlo!” I yelled, drawing his attention for a moment. But that brief distraction was enough. With a swift movement of my arm, I sent June flying through the air towards Carlo’s hand. The cleaver sliced cleanly through his wrist, severing his hand. As the hand holding the wand fell, the path of the spell broke.
Enzo quickly took advantage of the situation, sending a stunning spell towards Carlo before he could react.
