Page 59 of The Mist of Stars

“What is he doing?” Aislin asks.

“He’s standing there, just staring at the door.” I press my hand against the door. “He’s looking right at the peephole.”

“Do you think he has a weapon on him?”

“No. But if he’s possessed, depending on what creature’s control he’s under, he could have some sort of super strength.”

“So, we’ll knock him out with the spell before he can even get a chance to attack.”

“Can we do it with the door closed?”

“No, we’re going to have to open it. You’ll have to do that while I do the spell. Timing is everything.”

I exhale a stressed breath. Normally, I wouldn’t be this nervous, but after having death walkers come after me twice today, my nerves are abnormally on edge.

“I can do that,” I say with determination.

“Okay, I’m almost ready,” she says.

I peer over my shoulder. She’s sitting in a circle of candles with her spell book in front of her, and she’s clutching a necklace in her hand.

“I’ll tell you when to open the door.” She crisscrosses her legs then shuts her eyes and begins chanting a spell under her breath.

I hold my dagger to the side, waiting for her to signal for me to open the door. My heart is beating loudly in my chest, and the air has gone eerily still?—

“Now!” she shouts.

I yank the door open.

Henry startles, and then a smile rises on his lips. But before he can even react, Aislin yells, “Duck!”

I do, right as a blaze of fiery light swishes above me and collides into Henry’s chest. He gasps, his eyes widening before they roll into the back of his head. Then he collapses to the floor with athump.

“Did it work?” Aislin asks with hope.

I lean over him. His eyes are shut, and he’s not moving, except for his chest as he breathes in and out. “I think so.”

I peer down the hallway. No one is around, and while the place was fairly empty when we checked in, I’m worried someone will come up here, stumble across this scene, and think the worst.

“We should get him inside before someone sees this.”

Aislin steps up beside me. “Agreed. I wonder why no one reacted to the banging and shouting.”

I grab Henry’s feet. “Maybe all the rooms on this floor are empty.”

“Or maybe he enchanted a sound barrier,” she suggests as she grabs his hands.

“That would mean he can perform magic.” I start dragging him into the room.

“If he’s possessed, he might,” she grunts as she helps me.

“Good point.”

Once we have him in the bathroom, Aislin performs a barrier spell. “There. He’ll remain stuck in there for a few hours.” She dusts off her hands.

“What are we going to do when he can get out?”

“I … Shit, I didn’t think about that.”

---