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The demon whirled around to face Chloe. She stood in the pouring rain, aiming the Mentalist Wand straight at the demon’s chest. The end of the Wand glowed white as she attracted the magic of her Cast. Charlotte had bought her enough time to charge the Wand with her Cast power.
Chloe’s red magic swirled up and down her entire form, sparking with electricity like the lightning bolts overhead. It was powerful battle magic—a spell designed to kill. Charlotte’s magic may not be enough to kill Leto, but Chloe had the Mentalist Wand. That made her power stronger than ever. Leto lunged for the Wand.
Boom!
Magic exploded out of the end of Chloe’s Wand, blasting toward the demon. His claws swiped at the Mentalist Wand and knocked it out of Chloe’s hand. The Wand went spiraling through the air and straight into the pit.
It happened in the blink of an eye, but the spell had already been cast. Telekinetic magic strong enough to move mountains slammed into the demon’s chest. He was blasted backward—straight into Priestess Charlotte.
Charlotte tumbled over the side of the pit, her screams echoing as she plummeted to her death. The demon clawed at the empty air, like he may be able to climb the rain drops. He fell backward, straight toward the pit.
He never made it. Chloe’s killing spell enveloped his entire form. The demon’s skin glowed a bright red, then he exploded into ash.
Around us, the ghosts broke free of the hold he had on them. They were swept back up into the music box, which sat in the rubble mere yards from me. The top slammed shut, trapping the ghosts inside once again.
Everything seemed so silent, even though the storm raged around us. It was nothing compared to the calm that overcame me knowing the demon was gone.
The red of the pit faded, and the ground shook as the cavern closed, leaving only a gap a few feet wide.
Cautiously, I crawled through the sopping rain to the edge of the cavern. There was nothing but blackness below me. The monsters were gone. The demon was gone…
Charlotte and the Mentalist Wand were gone. The portal the demon had opened in the earth had sucked them all to the Abyss.
Except the demon. He had exploded into ash.
As the dust settled, our cats came out of hiding. Isa meowed as she rubbed up against me. I stroked her wet fur.
“You did it, Chloe!” Miles exclaimed as he jumped over the narrow cavern. He was joined by Grant, Talia, and Professor Warbright. “Your spell was powerful enough to kill him.”
Chloe breathed heavily. “I’m not sure I could’ve done it alone. You heard what Cynthia said about her contract. The only way out was if a priestess sacrificed herself for the coven. Charlotte may not have signed that contract, but she was a priestess. She put herself into the line of fire and died for it. She broke the contract, which made Leto weak enough for that last spell to kill him.”
I got to my feet and limped over to Lucas. Blood trailed down my leg from where the monsters sliced my skin. I helped Lucas break free of the debris, and we sagged against each other. I couldn’t believe it was over. With Leto dead, all his contracts were void. He could never possess another coven member to kill for him again.
“The demon is gone, but the priestesses are still going to use the Executors to hunt us down,” I said. “We need to leave. Now.”
Lucas winced. “I don’t think I have another portal left in me.”
“We have to get out of this storm,” Chloe said.
Rain continued to pour down on us, and lightning flashed overhead. We were a long walk from shelter. The rest of the town was on the other side of Lake Santos. Neither Lucas nor I would make it far on two legs.
I spotted headlights through the rain, coming down the driveway that led to the manor. It wasn’t a manor anymore, though. It’d been completely demolished.
Someone got out of the car, and I heard a voice screaming into the night. “Nadine!?”
My heart leapt with joy. “It’s Grammy! We’re over here!”
Our friends came to help us stand, and we started making our way through the rubble. Grammy ran to me when she saw our shadows moving through the night. I fell into her arms.
“Thank the Goddess I found you!” she cried. “I’ve looked everywhere. Quickly, everyone get into the car. I’m taking you to the safe house.”
Grammy’s hatchback didn’t have enough seats for us all, but Miles, Lucas, and I sat in the cargo area behind the back bench. I was just grateful to be alive and out of the storm.
Lucas wrapped an arm around me as Grammy drove us out of town. “We’re safe now,” he whispered.
I should have felt safe. The demon was gone, and we were finally escaping the priestesses. But as I watched the lights of Octavia Falls fade into the distance, all I felt was dread.
I didn’t know if I’d ever see my home ever again. I’d failed to stop the priestesses from tearing Octavia Falls in two, and now, I was running away from everything that had made me the witch I was today.
