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“We aren’t done yet,” she said. “What’s in the office?”
“The jars,” I explained. “They’re trapped souls. If we free them, we take down half of that army. Most of them probably don’t want to fight. She just owns them.”
“The glowing animal jars?” she said, furrowing her brow and panting a bit as we picked up the pace. The office was only a few yards away, and we were nearly running now.
“Yeah,” I said, grabbing the door and throwing it open.
“That means—” she said, her eyes widening. “Your jar, too?”
“Come on,” I said, ignoring her and pulling her. I closed the heavy banded door with a slam and locked it.
Gunfire rang out, and I moved one of the heavy drapes to peer outside. In the distance, one of the Order had taken flight. Judging by the sounds and the blasts of light, he was mowing down some of Lysandra’s army easily. I heard a bat-like screech, and then a shadowy cloud of flying creatures went for him. More bullets tore through the air, punctuating the chaos with flashes of heavenly light.
“NO!” Lysandra roared in the near distance as one of the Order lit a line of vines on fire with a white, dazzling blast of power.
The wind picked up outside as if the weather were also responding to the mistress of the vineyard. The office rattled, and wind and dust howled as a cyclone began to form outside.
“We have to hurry!” I shouted. “She’s not going down without a fight. She’ll kill every creature in this circle if she has to.”
We stood in front of the shelves of glowing jars. There were so many, at least one hundred. Some were large mason jars, and some were the size of baby food jars. They varied in size, shape, and color, but all of them contained one single glowing being. One single small creature meant to represent the biggest part of a human being. Mice, caterpillars, butterflies, toads—any manner of small garden creatures. Any little creature one giant spider might enjoy toying with.
I picked up one of the jars, its glass cool and smooth in my hand. It seemed so light for all it contained. With a swift, forceful motion, I smashed the jar against the cold, hard floor. The glass shattered into a thousand pieces, and a little mouse scurried out. It ran about for a second, then faded.
Marnie joined in, her hands gripping another jar tightly. She, too, sent it crashing to the floor. A small toad leaped out, its eyes wide with astonishment as it hopped away to reclaim its place in the world. Jar after jar met the same fate, as we shattered them and released the trapped souls within.
A scream pierced the air. Lysandra knew what we were doing. The wind picked up, tearing the roof off the office.
“Hurry!” I shouted. I used my arm to sweep several down at a time. My bare feet were peppered with glass, but I didn’t register the pain. I hungrily viewed each glowing soul, hoping to find my own.
“Last one!” Marnie yelled, smashing the jar in her hand. I sucked in my breath, hoping, but only a small sparrow flew out.
“No,” I whispered as the wind howled above. One-third of the office’s east wall fell prey to Lysandra’s storm. “It has to be here.”
I began to tear through the office, searching frantically. She had it. I knew she did. She’d threatened me with it often enough. It wasn’t on her person today. Otherwise, she would have smugly tick-tocked it in my face while she taunted me under the sun. I ran to her desk and ripped open every drawer. A few of my fingernails ripped away as I tore at the wood.
“Gabe!” Marnie screamed. “We have to go!”
There, in the bottom-most drawer, I found it.
A jar containing one single glowing butterfly.
I smashed it just as Marnie ran over to grab me. We both froze as a radiant butterfly emerged, its wings beating with newfound freedom. It fluttered around the room, casting a soft, enchanting light. For a moment, I thought it might be looking for me, but instead of reuniting with its rightful owner, my soul landed on her.
She gasped. “This… this one is yours, isn’t it? I can feel you.” The butterfly flapped its wings against her cheek.
There was no other explanation for it.
My soul recognized hers even though it had never truly met her.
“Soulmates,” I whispered. As if it agreed, my soul fluttered from Marnie to me, then dissolved. A warmth flooded through me, washing over me and healing my wounds inside and out. A light briefly filled the office.
“Gabe,” Marnie gasped, then reached to cup my jaw. “Your… your face.”
“What?” I said, rushing to look for one of the ornate hand-held vintage mirrors Lysandra kept around. For once, her vanity came in handy, and I snatched one out of the ruined remains of her desk. It was cracked, but it still did the job.
My face was… mine.
I threw the mirror to the floor and scooped Marnie in my arms. She squealed happily despite the raging storm and kissed me. Her fingers ran over my jaw and my cheeks as she did.
