Chapter Thirty-Two

‘NO!’ Melissa’s shout was so loud and determined that for a moment, even the entranced children seemed to stir, before their staring eyes glazed over once more.

‘Shhh,’ Aradia hissed, mockingly. ‘Don’t worry, sweetheart. There’s no need to get yourself all worked up now, is there?’ She turned to Maeve with a frown.

‘And you – don’t be so hasty. They could be useful; they have some power, they could be turned. Either way, soon we will begin, and their efforts to stop us will be less than nothing.’

Callum could hear Melissa sigh with tentative relief, though he was still unable to turn his body to look at her and give her any sign of encouragement. He could feel rage and frustration boiling inside him.

‘Besides,’ Aradia continued, moving back over to Melissa, ‘perhaps you, my girl, might want to follow in my footsteps? You would be far better served using your magic to side with those who will soon wield all the power –’

‘Never in a million years,’ Melissa spat, regaining her voice, but Aradia merely emitted her tinkling laugh once more.

‘You may well have your wish when we sacrifice this crone and the crossing point is made wide enough for the Demon Lord to enter the mortal world. Then our rule shall last a million years and more. Those who do not surrender to us will be doomed. Think carefully. You could thrive under my guidance.’

‘She might need guidance, but definitely not from you,’ Callum said through gritted teeth.

‘Chime child,’ Aradia scoffed. ‘Pathetic does not begin to describe your attempt to stop what’s about to happen. You should be ashamed of yourself – you’re an insult to your kind. I think keeping you alive for the Demon Lord to deal with will be a nice opener. Brace yourself – you’ll have a front-row seat to a future blacker than you can ever imagine.’

‘Enough!’ came a shout from behind them.

Aradia whirled around angrily, but Maeve held her ground.

‘Enough, Aradia. We must prepare. We do not have time to waste.’

Frowning, the younger woman turned away from Callum and Melissa.

‘Fine,’ she snarled. ‘Let’s get on with it.’

All four of the magic users gathered beside the pentagram now, their heads dipped, talking quickly in low voices. Callum felt anger and desperation welling up inside him. He squeezed his eyes shut and put all his will into trying to break free of Aradia’s spell, but it was no use. He could hardly move.

But as he opened his eyes, he saw someone else struggling to free themselves – and it wasn’t Melissa. To his amazement, Black Annis seemed to be moving her clawed fingers and muttering to herself. Was she trying to use her own magic against the coven’s? Her fingers worked back and forth, unnoticed by her captors, her claws rustling the nightmarish skirts of dried skin around her legs.

Suddenly, Callum had a thought.

Summoning all his strength, he desperately tried to move, grunting with the effort. With the coven’s attentions elsewhere for a moment, it seemed the spell binding him was becoming fractionally weaker and, sweating hard, Callum finally managed to raise his hands just enough for his palms to face down towards the ground. He focused all the energy that had been boiling over inside him and, with a final growl, he forced it downwards through his hands. The energy rippled along the floor of the cave towards the pentagram that enclosed Black Annis – and just as Callum had hoped, its force was enough to disrupt its form. The movement seemed to have taken the coven by surprise – and, for all her skill, Aradia’s binding magic seemed to be disrupted by Callum’s energy bolt.

It was all he needed.

Callum grabbed Melissa’s arm and pulled her to one side, out of the coven’s line of sight.

‘Callum, how did you –?’ Melissa began, but she was silenced as she realised what Callum had already seen, what he’d already hoped for . . .

Black Annis was loose.

Furious, Aradia screamed a spell and flung her hands out towards the hag. To Callum’s amazement, she had conjured a ball of crackling energy like sparks of lightning, and she flung it out at the crone. But Callum could see that their feedings had already taken effect; Black Annis was now strong. Very strong.

Black Annis dodged, her stringy hair flying out behind her as Aradia bowled another ball of lightning at the hag, fast and furious. This one caught Annis’ arm and set the rags of her dress blazing. She spat blue-black saliva on the fire to put it out and deflected the next of Aradia’s attacks with a flick of her talons. She sent the sparking missile straight back, but Aradia managed to move out of the way just in time. Instead, it caught Nolan by surprise, smashing into him and igniting his clothes instantly.

He cried out in pain as Aradia rallied, and the two older coven members fell in alongside her. They chanted in a loud, unfamiliar language that seemed to create a whirlwind around the cave. The cone of spinning air whipped towards Black Annis, but she bared her black teeth in a cackle.

Her talons already glowed red-hot where Aradia’s balls of lightning had touched them. Now the light in her long nails grew more intense. Black Annis held out her hands toward the whirlwind, her fingers spread wide, and slashed at the air, breaking the spell effortlessly. Without pausing, she launched herself towards the three magicians, still clawing. Her talons caught the torso of Maeve, digging furiously into her shoulder and back as she turned to try and escape the onslaught.

With a cry of pain, the white-haired woman fled towards the tunnel that led above ground, and Callum could see that the two other coven men were following close behind her.

Aradia, on the other hand, was standing her ground. With a furious cry, she launched another attack at Black Annis, sending a huge, crackling ball of energy towards the demon.

Callum thought it might have been too much for Annis, but with her new strength, she was once again too fast. Black Annis raised both of her taloned hands and deflected the blast – but this time it flew straight towards where Callum and Melissa were crouched . . .

‘Callum!’ Melissa cried out.

Without hesitation, Callum knocked Melissa sideways out of the path of the ball of energy. Feeling an eerie sense of calm, he braced himself for the impact of the blast, covering his head with his hands, his palms facing outwards as he threw up his shield. Aradia seemed to have put absolutely every bit of energy she had into creating the huge sphere. But this time Callum wasn’t going to be taken off guard.

The jolt came, throwing him against the cave wall and knocking the air from his lungs. The bolt of energy crackled up and down his body; Callum’s flesh prickled with electricity, as though thousands of needles were brushing him from head to toe. It was ferocious, but not painful. His breath came back to him in choking gasps and he blinked hard.

For a moment, a stillness seemed to descend on the cave, but as the dust settled Callum saw Black Annis bare her black teeth in a snarl. Before Callum could blink, she launched herself towards Aradia with an otherworldly screech, pouncing on top of the redheaded woman and sinking her teeth into her neck.

Aradia screamed in pain, but managed to wrench herself free and send one last blast of electrical energy at the crone. It was clear that the magician was weak, but it was enough to force Black Annis away from her. The demon recoiled, and Callum watched with a mixture of anger and disgust as Aradia turned and ran towards the tunnel, clutching her neck as blood began to seep between her fingers. A moment later, she was gone.

Black Annis turned slowly towards Callum.