Page 53 of The Heart of Moonlight Falls

William shrieked and thrashed, the noises coming out of him purely animalistic. The shades around the stone turned at the sound, letting out returned cries of outrage.

“Fuck, we need to get the shade out of him,” James said.

“Wait.” Sebastian stepped in front of the struggling William-shade. “What did you mean? What sacrifice to bar you from this world.”

The shade snapped its onyx teeth, saliva running down William’s chin. “Sacrifice is how magic works in the world of blood and bone, is it not?”

The humanoid shade had planned to sacrifice James to cement its hold on Moonlight Falls. Did that mean…?

Shades swarmed Sebastian, James, and Parker. The ones from the stone must have decided to attack after all. Sebastian’s gaze shot to the rock, but it was still surrounded, shades flying in rhythmic circles as a black column of shadow encased the stone, swirling and moving skyward, just as it had the night Sebastian first saw the shades doing their dance.

“Now, James,” Parker yelled as William thrashed and the attacking shades scratched Parker, pulling at him and trying to free the possessed person he held.

James conjured a ball of light, and the William-shade screamed. James thrust the glowing orb forward, hitting William’s face. He closed his unnaturally black eyes before the light made contact. James reacted swiftly, forcing the light into his mouth instead.

Too late, William clamped his lips shut, trapping the light inside.

A shade bit Sebastian’s shoulder, distracting him with sharp pain. He sent sparks into its face and it ignited, nearly burning Sebastian’s hoodie along with it.

Another shade latched on to James’s back. Sebastian sent fire at it, and it burst into shadow. William struggled in Parker’s hold, but Parker didn’t lose his grip. He grunted with effort and most likely pain as blood slid down his arms, more cuts opening as shades clawed him.

Sebastian attempted to banish the shades attacking Parker, but they kept darting out of the way. James said the words to increase the strength of his light spell and an earsplitting yell stopped Sebastian in his tracks. William went rigid as blinding light shone from his open black eyes and tightly sealed lips.

Dark shadow erupted from his skin. Parker released William, who slumped forward. The shade that had been inside him didn’t dissipate. It solidified into an opaque, inky beast that seemed to swallow the daylight around it.

James banished a shade about to bite Parker in the neck. Two more lunged toward James, but before Sebastian could react, his head throbbed and his vision blurred. It hurt more than it ever had and he wasn’t even using the veins’ magic.

Why was it worse now? Did it mean something was changing in the veins, or was everything finally catching up with his body? Was it because the shades seemed to be doing their dance to bring back the darkness?

Sebastian swore the earth shook beneath his feet.

When his vision cleared, the pain subsiding somewhat, Sebastian found James and Parker breathing heavily, the shades attacking them gone.

“Let’s get out of here,” Parker panted.

James grabbed Parker’s arm. “We can’t leave William lying in the road.”

Parker grunted and stooped to pick up the unconscious man. He’d been possessed, but Sebastian still suspected most of William’s recent actions were his own. He didn’t think the shade had rounded up that mob, especially not when it had said it didn’t want Sebastian at Storm House. Still, they couldn’t leave him lying there.

“The shades,” Sebastian rasped, his voice weak. He pointed at the stone and the growing shadow surrounding it. They had to stop them before the darkness came back, except Sebastian felt like he had no energy left.

A thunderous boom cut through the air and the shades circling the stone were thrown back, blasted all the way into the surrounding buildings. The ground vibrated. Sebastian had no idea what was happening. The stabbing pain in his head stole his attention, his awareness of his surroundings going in and out. He managed to focus in time to see the black shadow clinging to the stone release its hold and spill haphazardly onto the grass.

Across the circle, a shriek sounded, making Sebastian wince in pain. He took a deep breath and pushed through it. When his focus returned, he found James staring ahead. Sebastian followed his gaze and his stomach dropped out.

The large stag that had been shot in the head and chest rose from the road. It threw its head back and screamed, then lowered it, a single onyx eye fixed on James, the other nothing but a bloody mess.

The stag charged.

James lurched out of its path, grabbing Sebastian. They stumbled. The stag corrected its course, head down and antlers pointing forward. In a matter of seconds, it would run them through.

There wasn’t time to think, let alone run or try to banish the shade. Not when the animal was already dead. Sebastian did the only thing he could. He called the power of the veins to him and unleashed scalding blue power on the stag.

The blow hit the beast in the head, blasting it back as the shade was expelled from its body and destroyed. The stag slumped to the ground and the earth shook.

Sebastian dropped to his knees. Power still crackled at his fingers.

The earth trembled again like an earthquake. James wrapped his arms around Sebastian, trying to pull him up. They had to go before another dead stag rose, but Sebastian couldn’t move.

---