Spring Rain (29 page)

Morgan texted Beck to ask if he knew how to
lure Bartholomew into the stone and then started down the road,
keeping to the ditch despite the knee high Darkness and water
gathering there. She sloshed towards the tiny town with its single
gas station and the strip mall consisting of a small grocer’s,
realtor’s, coffee shop-bakery, and auto repair shop. She wasn’t
able to take a path through the school campus to reach Miner’s Drop
and hoped there was a secondary road or path. Her mother was
staying at the rustic, four room hotel down the street, and she had
the urge to return to the room and hug her mother for support
before she confronted Dawn. Her cell buzzed, and she checked
it.

Possible, but not
sure,
Beck had responded.
Dawn has Decker, too.

Morgan paused, uncertain how the Master of
Dark was taken. Dawn’s claim of being able to block him made Morgan
wonder if the Dark air witchling could do more than block. Decker’s
capture was yet another reason why she needed to be at Miner’s
Drop. She tucked the phone in her pocket and trudged onward to
town, stopping at the top of hill overlooking the strip mall and
gas station.

Darkness filled the area behind the stores
resembling smoke from a massive fire. Morgan gazed at it, heart
pounding and fear streaking through her. A large van was parked out
front, but she saw no sign of anyone present.

If there was one thing she knew, it was that
the stone couldn’t fall into the hands of anyone who knew how to do
harm with it. Beck’s life was at stake, along with all the Light in
the world.

But Decker, Biji … Noah … any other
innocents who were caught in the crossfire.

Morgan nibbled on her lip, wishing there was
an alternative to letting others suffer but uncertain what that
might be.

“You didn’t wait.”

Morgan gasped, not expecting to hear Beck’s
soft voice. She turned to face him. He was dry, immune from the
Darkness falling from the sky, while she was soaked. She studied
his chiseled features, momentarily lost in the memories of last
night, of how good he was, before she regained her senses.

He was watching her, a touch of sadness in
his gaze.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “Dawn said she
has Biji and Noah.” Morgan pointed. “I wanted … I don’t know. To
help, I guess.” She braced herself and waited for him to send her
away again.

Beck took her hand, and she calmed.
“Together?”

Morgan met his gaze again, surprised.

“I think …” He hesitated. “I think we need
each other for this.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” His gaze was on their destination.
“The school is protected for now. Do you want to help me protect
the Light?”

Morgan had never heard words that filled her
with such happiness. “Yes,” she said. “A million times over! I’m
going to help you save the world!”

Beck squeezed her hand, worry on his
features. “I can’t lose you again, Morgan.”

“You won’t. I promise.”

“Promise me you’ll trust me if I need to do
something you don’t agree with.”

She nodded eagerly, her fire dancing in
anticipation and her excitement rising at being part of what he
was.

“Then let’s do this.” He started
forward.

The fog and water parted for them, and she
held onto his hand tightly as they made their way out of the gutter
to the road leading down the hill. Morgan glanced at Beck’s
features more than once and saw his resolve, the determination of
the Protector of Light to perform his duty. That he wanted her
there, accepted her help, made her feel the Light inside her for
the first time, the joy of knowing she’d found her place after a
lifetime of being lost.

However short term it may be.

A quick look around the café and strip mall
confirmed Dawn and her people weren’t present.

“I can sense the Light witchlings,” Beck
said. “Probably Biji and Noah. This way.” He led them around the
buildings to a path leading into the forest.

The earth solidified the muddy trail before
they reached it and kept her feet warm while her fire flowed around
her and into Beck to warm them. “Is Decker with Dawn?”

“Yes.” Beck’s voice was tight. “I did some
scouting around.”

“How strong is Bartholomew?”

“I don’t think he’s at full power until he’s
in his human form. But he knows things we don’t about the Dark and
Light and how to use the magick.”

“All five elements, you and Decker, and the
equinox. We can bind the stone and your baby. I can’t figure out
how to get him out. Is it a spell, like the ones Amber taught us in
school? Where we took part of our element and put it in a
ball?”

“The one day you paid attention in class?”
he teased.

Morgan rolled her eyes. Before she faked her
death, she’d managed to turn in all of two homework assignments
over the course of two months, both of which were meant to teach
her how to control and contain her fire in small glass balls. Amber
had gone easy on her, giving her credit for doing it, even though
she clearly demonstrated no control over the element and couldn’t
make her fire take on the shapes dictated by the homework.

The fact it stayed in the ball took enough
of her energy to accomplish. “What if we can do that with
Bartholomew?”

“It might work,” Beck went on. “Actually, I
think if we can incapacitate Dawn, it might be easier to push
Bartholomew out then use binding spells on the soul stone. The
problem initially will be disarming Dawn without hurting her so we
can focus on containing Bartholomew.”

They reached the entrance to the ravine, and
he froze so quickly that she ran into him.

“What? What’s wrong?” she asked
anxiously.

“All right. Game’s up,” he said loudly.
“Summer, you’re not wandering in there alone.”

Morgan whirled. She hadn’t sensed the
air-earth witchling counterbalance to Decker, but Summer was only
five meters behind them on the trail. The dark-haired girl offered
a small smile.

“Can I convince you to go back?” Beck asked
and faced her.

“No,” came the firm response.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, both
of you. I have no idea what we’re about to walk into.”

“Together!” Morgan shot back before he could
tell them not to follow.

“I know,” he said with an amused smile. “I’m
not going to ditch you. I’m going to say to be careful and at the
first sign of trouble, you need to book it out of here.”

“I think I speak for both of us when I say
no,” Summer replied and crossed her arms. “I want Decker back and I
heard you say you need all five elements to cage Bartholomew. I can
help.”

“Decker’s going to kill me,” Beck said. “But
come on. I’d rather have you with me than caught by Dawn’s
witchlings. And if something bad happens, Summer …”

“I know,” she said quietly. “I can do
it.”

“Do what?” Morgan asked.

“Pull him back from the Dark.”

Morgan shivered at the calm words. After her
limited experience with a piece of the Dark in her pocket, she
didn’t want to know what that entailed or how much effort it took
to accomplish. The small girl before her was tougher than she
looked if she could manage such a feat.

“No heroics from any fireballs.” Beck said
in an even tone. “Let’s go.”

For the first time in her life, Morgan
didn’t feel like rushing in alone to save the world. If anything,
she was excited to be working with him to save the Light and
protect people.

They began walking. Summer moved closer,
crowding Morgan on one side enough for her to feel the earth magick
ripple through her. She sensed fire magick as well from some point
ahead of them. Beck’s features grew hard, his gaze wary, as the
Master of Light prepared himself for what was coming.

“I got your text,” Summer told her. “We can
talk about what I went through after this. It’s kind of a long
story.”

Morgan nodded, more interested in what was
about to happen.

A strangled cry reached them. Morgan’s
breath caught. She didn’t want to envision anything happening to
Biji or anyone else innocent caught in the crossfire.

Beck released her hand and started towards
the sound, alternately sliding and leaping over boulders and ice.
Morgan followed as fast as she could, and she and Summer gripped
each other’s hands to steady themselves. Beck disappeared around a
bend while the two of them struggled with the ice. Neither had worn
snow boots.

You’re not ditching me
that easily!
Morgan vowed. Tired of the
ice, she pulled forth her magick and blasted fire ahead of them
along the path to melt the ice.

“I can help,” Summer said. Moments later,
dirt rose up from the earth to fill the puddles and cover what
remained of the ice.

They reached the point where Beck had
disappeared, and Morgan stopped, panting, to observe the scene
before them. A dozen Dark witchlings, Biji and Decker in a cave,
Dawn lying on the ground in pain, and Noah being held back by the
Dark witchlings. Beck faced off with six witchlings, lightning
flaring in his hands. But nearly everyone was focused on the
moaning woman at the center of everything.

“Baby,” Summer breathed. “She’s having it
now.”

“No, no, no!” Morgan darted forward, too
aware of Sam and Beck’s warnings about what happened if Bartholomew
wasn’t contained before the baby was born. “Beck! We have to do
something now!”

“Morgan, stay back a minute,” Beck called
over his shoulder. Lightning flared in the air around him.

Morgan stopped, and Summer careened into
her. The ground began to rumble while the air grew thick with
magick as the Dark witchlings also drew on their elements for the
battle to come.

“Biji …” Summer trailed off and pointed
towards the cave.

Biji was waving frantically towards
them.

“Come on!” Summer started forward, skirting
the edge of the mess before them and headed straight to the
cave.

Morgan’s skin crawled with magick, agitating
her fire. Beck was about to do something only a Master could do,
and she innately understood she was standing too close for whatever
was about to happen. Backpedaling several steps, she bolted after
Summer. Summer paused before the cave and stepped in, and Morgan
followed.

Silence and stillness greeted her, along
with what felt like a punch to the gut. The Dark sensed the stone
and smashed into her, cold tendrils swarming all over her to find
the stone. Morgan landed on the ground of the cave hard.

“No!” Decker barked.

The Dark retreated sluggishly, as agitated
as the fire magick that had engulfed her. Summer and Biji were
clinging to one another, and the power of Decker was thick in the
air. Morgan prayed he wasn’t about to let Summer calm him when he
needed his magick to keep the Dark from attacking her.

“You okay?” Decker held out a hand to
her.

Morgan nodded. Her back hurt a little but
nothing worth complaining about at a time like this. He stared a
little too long, and she moved away. He was as affected by the
stone as the Dark was.

“I hear you turned Noah Light.” Decker
blinked and stepped farther away, lingering near Summer without
touching her. “Tell me how you did it.”

“Now?” Morgan looked outside the cave, where
Beck was about to have a showdown alone.

“Yes. And fast.”

Morgan wrung her hands. “I just burned him.
Hot as I could.”

“Beck says you created Light. How?”

“I don’t really know. My flames turn white
when they’re super hot, and the Light forms and flies away.”

“To where?”

“Um, the school once and Beck once.”

“So to whichever is the closest?”

“Yeah, I think so. Why?” She glanced at him.
“You want me to burn you?”

“No. There’s Dark magick belonging to
Bartholomew mixed with the air magick keeping us in the cave. If
you can burn his influence out, Biji can lift the air magick.”

“Biji.” Morgan gazed her. “Air magick.
Summer is earth-air. Noah water. Decker, you’re fire and …”

“Water, spirit.”

“Don’t you guys see? Everyone’s here! We can
face Bartholomew!” The thought electrified her.

“Hold that thought. We need to get out of
here first,” Decker told her. “Burn as hot as you can. Biji, give
her air so we don’t suffocate.”

The air witchling approached and rested a
hand on Morgan’s arm. At once, her defensive flames began to
expand, fueled by the direct supply of air magick. Decker and
Summer stood back while Morgan placed her hands on the barrier.

She released her hold on the anxious magick
and fed it, drawing off Biji’s element as well. The flames billowed
and gathered at the barrier like the Dark shadows had, slowly
shifting colors as they became hotter. Blue turned to purple,
black, rainbow and finally, white so blinding, she squeezed her
eyes closed.

Sizzling filled the air. Whitefire raced
along the barrier, eating away at the Dark threads integrated into
the magick. The barrier expanded and burst. Cold air and rain
brushed by her, and Morgan lowered her hands. The Light she had
created arched between her and Beck and slammed into him, knocking
him back a step.

Glancing towards her, he flashed a smile and
began to glow brighter.

“Ow,” Biji mumbled and shook her arms
out.

“You all stay here,” said Decker.

Morgan shook from effort and turned when
Decker spoke. He was holding Summer tightly while the shadows from
the cave were absorbed into his body. He released her with a quick
kiss and strode out to join his brother.

“Wait here my ass,” Biji said. She started
to step out of the cave when the tense situation before them
exploded.

Lightning and shadows began taking out the
Dark witchlings present. Dark air magick whipped up a tornado while
Dark water attempted to freeze the water in the air around the
Masters. The twins worked as a team, Beck driving back the
witchlings and crippling them with pure Light while Decker
unleashed black fog that chased down and consumed the Dark
witchlings.