Jo was looking around as if he’d lost something.
“Do you hear that?”
I paused, straining my ears. Gradually, I picked up small scratching noises, like a mouse scratching around in the dirt. I jumped when the scratches were followed by a loud yowl.
“It’s Jade!”
When I opened the shop door, Jade bolted inside. She hissed when she saw Jo, but she didn’t say anything. Rearing back, she jumped straight at me. I caught her awkwardly in my arms. Jade had never once let me hold her, so she must have had some pretty bad news.
“What’s wrong?”
You need to get back to the house, quick. Something is really wrong in the basement.
“Another break-in?”
Jade nodded. I went back to the house to keep watch, and sure enough, that lady came again. She’s working on the barrier right now. We might be able to catch her if you hurry.
She jumped down and streaked for the door. I wrenched it open and we hurried out.
My mind raced as Jo and I followed Jade back to the house. How were we going to catch this person? Jo had insisted that our culprit wasn’t Chandra or her daughter, but I wasn’t so sure. They were Farrows, and the Farrows hated the Blacks. That was reason enough for them to be involved.
If that were the case, how were we going to subdue her? I wasn’t sure how powerful Chandra’s daughter was, but judging by her cool, haughty confidence, she could hold her own. It would be even worse if it was Chandra herself.
My stomach lurched at the thought that they could be working together.
When we got to the house, we circled it, pausing by the basement window. Closing my eyes, I sensed the hole in the barrier immediately. She hadn’t been able to do the full crumbling spell, and must have used an old standby to get in again.
“She’s in the basement, in that room.”
Jo took my arm. “Come on, let’s get down there, then.”
I paused when he started towards the front door. “Should I seal up this hole? Just in case she tries to get out the window?”
He stopped, looking from me to the window and back to me.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I feel like we should stick together, but it might be better if one of us stays at the window in case she tries to escape.”
My whole body began to tremble at the thought of trying either of those options. Jo’s grip on my arm tightened. “I…I don’t want to stay out here alone.”
I wondered if Jo would think I was being stupid, but to my surprise, his forehead creased with concern.
“You’re right. You only just found out that you’re a witch. It’s not a good idea to leave you to deal with any of this alone.”
He gave a frustrated sigh as he looked from the basement window to the front porch.
“Let’s just go to the basement together. We’ll have to hope we can surprise her.”
Before we could move, though, a blood-curdling scream erupted from the basement.
Chapter Twenty-Three
We bolted into the house and tore down the basement steps, Jade on our heels. I yanked on the lightbulb cord so hard that the whole thing began to swing back and forth, casting eerie shadows along the walls as it moved. The screaming carried on. The sound was muffled, but I knew it was coming from behind the sealed door. Jo held his hand out to me.
“Give me the potion, quick!”
He uncorked it and threw it at the barrier. When the potion made contact with the air, it dispersed into a sort of mist that seeped into the barrier. Pulling out my wand, I envisioned the shield spell, then squeezed it into the space between the barrier and the door.
With a burst of power, I forced the shield to expand fast. I could sense the barrier bulging out, stretching as it tried to hold onto the seal on the other side, but the potion had done its job. With the barrier weakened, it burst apart at last.
“Yes!”
I pumped my fist into the air, then lifted the bar on the door. I swung it open to reveal Theresa, wide eyed, the scream dying on her lips. With a sob, she lurched out of the room and into Jo’s arms.
She’s getting away!
At Jade’s cry, I looked up to see a pair of brown boots disappearing through the window. I ran into the room and grabbed onto one of the intruder’s feet. She gave a cry of rage as she kicked the trapped foot. She landed a vicious cuff on my fingers, and I cried out in pain. Cradling my hand, I watched with mounting fury as the culprit climbed out and ran away, her footsteps pounding loudly into the night.
A choked sob sounded behind me. I turned around, terrified by the sight of Jo’s face, tight with fear.
Theresa sagged against him. She was thinner than I remembered, her ragged, dirty clothing hanging off of her. Her hair, sweaty and caked with dirt, lay plastered to her head.
“Sage, we have to get her to the hospital. She feels warm, and I think she’s dehydrated.”
I glanced back at the room, surveying it quickly. There were no weapons, no all-powerful wands, no secret books. Aside from some non-perishable food, a gallon of water, a bucket, and some wipes, the room was empty.
“Sage!”
“I know! I just can’t figure out why Theresa was in there! I thought the intruder was after some kind of hidden tool or spell or something.”
Jo gently lowered Theresa to the floor and checked her pulse at her neck and wrist.
“Whoever kidnapped her was trying to frame you, Sage. That’s why she was in there,” he said as he worked.
“But how did the intruder know about the room?”
Nothing made sense anymore. Theresa wasn’t lucid enough to explain anything, but even if she was, I would’ve felt cruel asking her for answers.
“I don’t know. We can figure it out later. Her pulse is fine, but I think she’s dehydrated and very hungry. We really need to go.”
Hurrying to Theresa’s side, I helped Jo lift her up from the floor. Between the two of us, we led her out of the basement, then to the front door.
Jade followed behind, the hair on her back and tail still standing on end.
“Jade, can you stay here? If something happens, come to the hospital and get us. Don’t try to attack anyone.”
The cat gave one curt nod before turning and walking back up the porch steps. Jo guided Theresa to the car and I opened the door. She seemed to rally and straightened, refusing to get into the car.
“What are you doing? Where are we going?”
