Page 58 of The Heart of Moonlight Falls

“Wait!” James knelt beside him and performed the spell they used on Miss Moo to numb her skin when they’d tried to transfer the curse to her. “It won’t be enough, but it’s better than nothing.”

Sebastian examined the hatchet. The blade was sharp, unlike the axe he used to chop firewood. Movement in the clearing caught his eye, his gaze torn from the hatchet and drawn to the center of the hole. The darkness seemed to be undulating, almost like the ocean, causing the earth to move in a way that made Sebastian seasick.

He had to do this now. “Ready, James?”

“I’ve got you, sweetheart.”

Sebastian raised the hatchet. He didn’t let himself think beyond aiming. He lined the blade up with his finger, then pulled back and swung down with all his strength. Sebastian watched the blade strike and his finger fell away. He was frozen in disbelief even though he’d meant to do it. Everything around him went silent, the pain hitting him like nothing he’d ever experienced.

Sebastian screamed, dropping the hatchet, and pulled his injured hand against his chest, cradling it with his other. He clamped his eyes shut as nausea threatened and pain almost stole his consciousness.

A firm pressure against Sebastian’s back helped him hold on, but the pain was too blinding for him to think. Something clamped down on his wrist, and Sebastian thrashed before he remembered it was James and allowed his injured hand to be pulled from where he had it tucked against himself.

There was a sudden heat and his pain intensified. Shit, this was so much worse. Sebastian screamed again, trying to jerk away on instinct, but James held him tight, his chest braced against Sebastian’s back and his arms around him.

The smell of burning flesh made Sebastian gag. Just when he thought he couldn’t take it, it stopped.

Sebastian’s cheeks were soaked and sobs shook him from head to toe. James didn’t release his hold. He rocked Sebastian back and forth, murmuring in his ear. Everything hurt unbearably. Sebastian wasn’t sure how he was supposed to keep functioning.

Eventually, Sebastian’s head cleared enough for him to process what James was saying.

“I love you, Sebastian. I’ve got you. You’re so brave. You’re perfect. I’ll never let you go.” He went on and on in a stream of comfort until Sebastian stopped trembling.

“Let’s finish this,” Sebastian rasped. “Where did it go?” He looked down at his bloody hand to where his pinky ended at the second knuckle. It didn’t seem to be bleeding anymore but looked absolutely ghastly.

“Here.” James handed him his severed finger.

Sebastian took it in his uninjured hand. “Help me up?”

James hoisted Sebastian to his feet and guided him around the fallen tree and into the clearing. The ground shook so violently that he might have needed the help even if he hadn’t felt like he was about to pass out.

“Oh shit.” James’s worried voice captured Sebastian’s frayed attention.

At the center of the hole, the ripples had gotten larger, and from their tumultuous depths came a stream of shades. Beasts flew out of the gateway by the hundreds, shooting into the night sky.

Sebastian staggered forward, supported by James. The shades didn’t seem to notice them. Were they trying to escape before the veins exploded and the gateway closed?

James guided Sebastian to the glowing edge of the hole. The pulsing light sent the pain in his head and hand throbbing. Sebastian clung to consciousness. He gripped James with his uninjured hand as best he could and tossed his finger into the hole with the other.

“Fucking blood and bone,” he grumbled as he watched it fall.

The finger hit the roiling darkness. Even though it seemed like the surface of a churning sea, the finger didn’t disappear like it would have had it been liquid. Sebastian could see his finger falling into the void. It went down and down until it disappeared in a flash of blue light.

The shaking earth went abruptly still. Sebastian let out a gasp of shock and relief.

“Look.” James pointed at the glowing edge of the hole in front of them. It receded, replaced by an undisturbed forest floor as the hole continued to shrink.

“It worked,” Sebastian breathed, fresh tears streaming down his cheeks.

The shades continued to fly out of the center of the hole, but it was just a dark void and no longer rippling. As the hole shrank slowly, the pulsing light lessened. Everything seemed to calm.

Then it stopped. The hole had shrunk by about a quarter, but after a minute of no progress, it didn’t seem to be closing any farther.

Sebastian’s heart sank and he slumped against James, letting out a sound of pain and fear. “It didn’t work.”

“It did.” James held him tight. “The earth stopped shaking. Everything is calm.”

“But the hole is still here.” Sweat broke out on Sebastian’s forehead. “Does that mean I have to sacrifice all of myself if a piece of me wasn’t enough?” He let out an angry laugh. “A piece of the missing piece wasn’t enough. How many pieces of pieces do we need? I can’t cut myself up into tiny bits.” Everything was cruel and funny in a way that made him want to hurl.

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