Page 46 of Witch's Promise

As the call disconnected, Gabe leaned against the wall, suddenly feeling every one of his thirty-odd years. The events of the night crashed over him in a wave of sensory memory - the crack of magic in the air, the acrid smell of smoke, the sticky warmth of his father's blood on his hands.

Christ, what a fucking mess.

But there wasn't time for self-pity or recrimination. His family needed him. His coven needed him. And damned if he was going to let them down now.

With renewed determination, Gabe pushed off the wall and made his way back upstairs. He could hear his mom and sister's voices from the bedroom, chanting healing spells in a rhythmic cadence that spoke of long practice. As he pushed open the door, the scene before him made his heart clench.

Gabe pushed open the bedroom door, the familiar scent of his parents' room now tainted with the coppery odor of blood and the acrid stench of dark magic. The scene before him made his stomach lurch. His father, usually so strong and imposing, lay pale and still on the bed. His mother and Giana hovered over him, their hands glowing with healing energy as they chanted spells in a desperate, rhythmic cadence.

"Any change?" Gabe asked, his voice sounding hollow even to his own ears.

His mom looked up, exhaustion etched into every line of her face. "He's stable, for now. But Gabe, this dark magic it's like nothing I've ever encountered. I can feel it corrupting him, eating away at his very essence."

Gabe's jaw clenched, the weight of responsibility settling onto his shoulders like a physical thing. He nodded, trying to project a confidence he didn't feel. "Okay. I might be able to help with that."

His eyes darted to the corner of the room, where Sean stood silently wringing out a damp towel. Gabe couldn't read the expression on his ex's face - was it concern? Discomfort? Regret? There wasn't time to decipher Sean's emotional state, not when his father's life hung in the balance.

Taking a deep breath, Gabe approached the bed. Healing magic had never been his strong suit - he was more of a "blow shit up first, ask questions later" kind of witch. But Finn's words echoed in his mind, a lifeline in the chaos. He could do this. He had to do this.

"I need you all to step back," Gabe said, his voice steadier than he felt. "This might get a little intense."

As his family moved away, creating a small circle of space around the bed, Gabe raised his hand over his father's prone form. The black-handled dagger still protruded from his dad’s chest, a sinister reminder of how quickly everything had gone to hell.

Gabe wrapped his fingers around the hilt, feeling the pulse of dark energy thrumming through the weapon. With a silent prayer to whatever higher power might be listening, he began to pull.

The dagger resisted at first, as if it had fused with his dad’s flesh. Gabe grit his teeth, pouring his will into the action. Slowly,agonizingly, the blade began to slide free. As it emerged, a cloud of inky darkness billowed from the wound, filling the air with a miasma of malevolent energy.

"Fuck," Gabe muttered, tossing the dagger aside. He placed his hand over the gaping wound, calling forth every ounce of magical energy he possessed.

White-gold light bloomed beneath his palm, warm and pure in contrast to the oily darkness seeping from his father's body. Gabe pushed harder, visualizing his magic as a tidal wave of cleansing energy. Sweat beaded on his brow as he poured more and more of himself into the spell, feeling the dark magic resist and recoil.

For a heart-stopping moment, nothing seemed to be happening. The darkness swirled and pulsed, pushing back against Gabe's efforts with terrifying force. But then, almost imperceptibly at first, it began to retreat.

Gabe pressed his advantage, his entire world narrowing to this singular point of contact between his magic and the invasive darkness. He lost track of time, lost awareness of anything beyond the ebb and flow of magical energy. It could have been minutes or hours later when he finally felt the tide turn decisively in his favor.

The dark magic receded, contained - for now - within the confines of the wound. It wasn't gone completely, but it was no longer actively spreading through his dad’s body. Gabe sagged with relief, suddenly aware of how utterly drained he felt.

"It worked," he managed to croak out, his voice rough with exhaustion. "At least, I think it did. It should buy us some time until Finn gets here."

His mom rushed forward, her hands already glowing with diagnostic magic as she checked her husband’s vitals. "Oh, thank the spirits," she breathed. "His energy feels cleaner somehow. Less corrupted. Gabe, how did you-"

"Just a stop-gap measure," Gabe cut her off, not wanting to get into the complexities of what he'd done. Hell, he wasn't even sure he fully understood it himself. "The real cavalry's on its way. Finn and Marcus should be here soon."

Giana, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the ordeal, suddenly spoke up. "What about Jessy? Is she... I mean, did anyone see what happened to her?"

The question hit Gabe like a sucker punch to the gut. In the chaos of trying to save his father, he'd almost forgotten about the other victim of tonight's attack. Shame and guilt flooded through him. Some hero he was turning out to be.

"She was taken," Gabe admitted, the words tasting bitter on his tongue. "I saw them dragging her away, but I couldn't... fuck, I should have done something. I should have-"

"We'll find her, and we'll get to the bottom of all this. But right now, your father needs us. We should focus on keeping him stable until help arrives.” His mom said.

"You're right," he said, squeezing his mother's hand. "We'll figure it all out. We always do.” He turned to Giana. “Gi, can you please look after Gino? He’s currently unconscious trying to save Jessy.”

“I’ll go.” Giana said before leaving the room.

Gabe leaned down, bringing his lips close to his father's ear. "Help's on the way, Dad," he whispered. "Just hang in there, okay? We need you. I need you."

The lump in his throat threatened to choke him, and Gabe knew he had to get out of the room before he completely lost his shit. Without a word to the others, he turned and strode out, his feet carrying him on autopilot through the house and out into the backyard.

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