Peter settled down again only when the servants ended their struggles permanently with the end of the ritual that cut the wight off from controlling them. Benedict knew that was not a good sign. The attack on Peter didn’t kill him. Since, he wasn’t dead yet by any means. Magnus claimed while they searched for Peter that if they found him alive but injured by these things, Ebony’s mother would attempt to keep him alive past the destruction of the wight, and Peter wouldn’t become a new minion. Benedict didn’t like the new minion option or Peter’s death from any of this. But as Benedict thought about it now, he could see that Magnus didn’t say Peter would live but live past the wight. Now though, Peter’s flailing had knocked out Ebony. Which Benedict believed would help in the long run. With this happening to Peter, it was all too much in his estimation for her to deal with. He and Franco couldn’t deal with everything else if they feared she’d do something extre
Franco lay there as Benedict disappeared into the cave again. No once commented, but the air was thick with tension as Con, Ran, Magnus, Stone, and Flint went ahead of Benedict on the hunt for the wight. “I should go with them, Howard. They might need my skills.” Jane said to her mate. She feared the power of this creature because the information on these things was so incomplete. “Oh no. You are not running into the dragon’s den blindly, Jane. Because you’re needed out here more. You must do everything you can for Peter, or we will deal with three mourning wolves. They’ve partially bonded already.” “Howard.” Jane stopped speaking. Howard looked into her pained eyes. He knew what that look meant. She’d withheld something from someone. When she did that, it never boded well. She pulled him aside and made sure no one listened in or watched them. “There’s nothing more I can do here for him. It’s too late.” Her words made barely
This wasn’t part of the tunnel through this doorway. It wasn’t an offshoot to another tunnel. The doorway opened into a large room. What appeared naturally made with a water feature in the centre? Clearly, the water raised and lowered through the ages, and it must be how the caves originally came into being. The burials and the carving came later. The walls held evidence of the rise and fall of the water from ages past. A glowing moss or fungus clung to the walls in great patches. The wight’s form appeared to give off a cold, faint glow, that gave enough light to reveal the size of the space. All eyes scanned the space, eager to have this over and done with. Their need for retribution and destruction keenly felt all around. “That’s a complication.” “What?” “The moss. It’s not anywhere else, so what’s the bet the wight brought it here? It might help kill it, but it could kill us, too.” Magnus cursed softly under his breath. No one spoke l
The flamethrowers activated pretty much at the same time. With short bursts from different flamethrowers, they bathed the wight in fire. Benedict prayed to the Goddess and several other gods in the pantheon that this would work. He might not worship them directly, but he respected their existence as he did the Moon Goddess herself. The creature screamed breaking the eerie silence as it backed away from one wolf for another wolf to hit it with their flame. Clearly the wight didn’t expect such a thing to happen. Benedict could only think that this might be the first time this creature ever saw fire like this. “Flint, keep it from the water. Drive it away. Keep it from the water and walls.” Magnus ordered. Ran and Con snapped at the wight from a safe distance. Snarls rang out from everyone including the wight. They bounced off the walls of the large space. Its screams became anguished quickly. But it took several precious minutes for the proof
Ebony watched over Peter. Nothing changed as time ticked by. His breathing didn’t improve, and she silently cursed this entire mess. How it became their job to get rid of this thing and its cursed minions. She couldn’t bear it if Peter became one of them. She didn’t want to lose anyone, but she could feel a change among the slowly growing bond.What made it worse were the feelings she felt from Franco. With Peter, she couldn’t feel his emotions very well, but he was unconscious and injured. Ebony understood it was far worse than that. The magic used to create these creatures was strong and banned. That magic worked like a poison, but it didn’t have a known voiding spell beyond destroying the source of the magic.This hit Franco just as hard, or perhaps harder than it did Ebony. The pain that radiated off Franco affected everyone who came near him.Ebony knew they’d never be the same after this, even if Peter survived. That’s what hurt the worst. They’d not been able to get through the
Everyone around Ebony went into action, either packing or cleaning the evidence of the fighting that happened there. Her mother knelt beside her and took her hand in hers. “Stay with Peter. If he breathes, there’s hope and you’re the best chance he has, love. Franco is fine right now. It’s just too much for him to process. You can relax, no worries. Your dad and I have it covered, and Benedict will be back shortly. When that happens, we’ll leave here.” When in need, her mother excelled at convincing others to follow her desires. She was a force that brought goodness. Because Ebony would feel nothing but terror if her mother was a force for evil. “Okay. I’ll keep it in mind.” Ebony sniffed and used the back of a dirty shirt sleeve to brush the trails of tears on her face before she wiped her tears from Peter, too. Her mother nodded with a comforting smile and pat before she stood to help others get things dealt with as quickly as they could.
Ebony fell asleep in the truck at some point and awoke, leaning on Benedict with Franco on her other side. She didn’t think there was much talking between anyone on the way home. Home. She hadn’t seen her pack territory as home for several years now. Thinking about it felt strange. Even with the nap in the truck, Ebony’s exhaustion hadn’t lessened. She found herself so tired that she could no longer gauge passing time. Ebony winced upon hearing the dread in her voice, asking, “Have we arrived?” Her neck and back both echoed the pain she felt in her words. “Peter, is he still with us?” “Yeah, we’re here. Yes, Peter’s still breathing, but he hasn’t moved or made any sign that he’s aware of us. I’m not sure what will happen next, but your father said they’re dropping everyone off here and then we’re teleporting with Peter to a large hospital that deals with many supernatural creatures because your mom believes they are more likely to have succ
Benedict watched as they prepared to use a mage portal. He’d said nothing to Ebony about how badly Franco was taking Peter’s medical state, or what her mother feared had happened. It was hard enough for him to deal with the news himself. Her mother told him she feared Peter’s body may live, but his soul was another story. That it may have gone too far toward death to come back. If that were the case, then all they could do was stand by and wait for his body to die. She’d tried to explain to Benedict that the Wight basically killed and reanimated his minions, but those they’d destroyed were only the bodies of the Wight’s victims. Their souls were long gone. She feared Peter was too far toward becoming a minion to bring back. Benedict couldn’t tell Ebony or Franco about that. When he tried to illicit help with explaining it to Ebony. Franco stopped him before he could broach the subject. He’d found Franco in crisis. Franco couldn’t accept Pet