Some Witches Need Anger Management

Cheating Death

"They've gone Harry!"

Mona's cry set us all into action. Alec, Kian, Michael and Victoria were no longer were we had left them.

Shit.

I watched as Harry Jekyll bent down to examine the floor where they had been sitting when they went into the trance.

"Sulpher," he said scrunching his nose.

"A demon?" Mona asked, the fear evident in her voice.

"No, I don't think so," Harry replied "The trail is too diluted, but, whatever took them wasn't human."

Taking a deep breath, I could smell what he meant. There was an edge to the air that was definitely not like anything I had come across before, and it sent chills up my spine.

"Something took them?" Mum asked "Are you sure it's not just The Coven?"

Mona looked worried, "No, they don't work that way, they hate dealing with people in person, especially those that have never used magic."

Harry shook his head, looking thoughtful, "That makes sense given what happened last time they got involved."

"What happened last time?" I asked.

Harry smiled sadly at me, "Victoria, tried to time travel, but at the time the magic was stronger than her. I was part of the Council taskforce that was set up to contain the situation, but once The Coven got wind of what was happening they came and destroyed all magical texts relating to time travel. They deemed it a power too great for anyone to master."

I frowned as I took it all in. Kian had explianed how they had used time travel to clear Alec's name of the murders caused by Jonathan Cayhill.

They hadn't destroyed all of the texts. Victoria's spell book still held the information. She must have hidden it from them.

"There was a fight," Mona added "And, unfortunately one of our students was thrown into the timeline with no sacrifice made. The spell went wrong, and we have no idea what happened to him."

"Okay," I said, "So, we can rule The Coven out... what about Lucifer?"

Harry nodded, looking grim, "It's certainly possible."

He didn't elaborate though, which gave me a bad feeling about this whole situation. If Lucifer was the culprit then who knew what kind of pain he would cause them. But, more importantly, what if it really was a spell gone wrong? What if we couldn't fix it?

My mind started spinning. The stakes were high, we were risking everything on a guess. My thoughts raced as I considered every angle, trying to come up with something, anything. Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned, meeting Harry's eyes, and saw understanding there.

"We'll find them, won't we?" I asked.

"Of course we will," he replied "Have a little faith."

Faith was hard to come by when it seemed like the world was going to end. I tried anyway. I had to.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked.

Harry sighed, looking defeated "There is somebody we can talk to. It's going to be dangerous though... she's still part of The House Of The Apocalypse."

"Who?" Mona asked.

"Her name's Anna," he replied "She's a powerful necromancer."

Mona's face dropped, "Anna Howe?" she asked, "Is that her name?"

Harry nodded, and tears formed in Mona's eyes.

What the hell was I missing here?

"Mona?" Mum asked, walking over and placing an arm around her, "What's the matter, dear?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

I stared at her, confused. What the hell was she apologizing for?

"Sorry about what?" I asked.

"Anna." Mona looked up at me, eyes glassy, "She's my sister, and I lost her..."

"Lost her?" I repeated, a sinking feeling dropping to my stomach, "She died?"

"Apparently not," Harry cut in, "Cheating death would be child's play for someone with her abilities."

"She cheated death?" I asked.

Mona shook her head, smiling sadly, "She's reincarnated. Her soul died, and then returned to her body. She's not the same person. My sister died and a monster took her place."

I looked to Mum. She had gone pale, and I was sure my look matched hers.

"How?" I asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea," Mona replied "It's a branch of magic that few of us dare to meddle with."

"I've read the books the council collected on the subject, most of the texts are either blank or full of inaccuracies. I'm not even entirely sure what happens during the process of rebirth, but it's certainly not pleasant." Harry added "It makes Anna that much more dangerous."

"So, what now?" I asked "Are we gonna go and see her?"

"You're not coming, Dylan," Harry stated "I will not put you in harms way."

I shot him a dirty look. He deserved the brunt of my anger. How did he know I'd be willing to risk myself for my family?

"Come on, Harry," I pleaded "I want to help."

Harry shook his head, "This isn't your battle, Dylan. Let us handle it."

"But-" I started to argue.

He raised a hand to stop me, and I fell silent.

"Dylan, I understand why you feel like you owe it to your family to try. Trust me, I get that, and I know I have no right telling you what to do, but you need to stay out of this. We're talking about confronting a powerful sorceress, while you are still learning how to live with what you are now . You have no clue what sort of danger you might be exposing yourself to."

I clenched my jaw. Harry was right, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

"Fine," I huffed crossing my arms and turning away, "I'll keep myself safe and watch everyone else play hero."

"Thank you Dylan," Harry replied softly, taking my shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

Mum looked between me and Harry, worry written all over her features.

"He can go. Just make sure you get home safely," she warned quietly.

"Mum..." I began but she silenced me with a wave of her hand.

She leaned in, resting her forehead against mine.

"No. You listen to me, young man, alright? I love you. I will always love you, and I will always protect you." She pulled away, kissing me tenderly on the forehead "I know you want to save your brother. He needs all of us to play our parts."

"I love you mum," I mumbled wrapping my arms tightly around her shoulders and burying my face in her hair. She hugged me tightly returning the gesture.

"I love you too," she whispered before pulling away, squeezing my hand lightly, "Now go, bring Alec back."

"Are you sure about this?" Harry asked.

"I am," Mum replied , taking my other hand in hers, "I know it won't be easy, but I believe in the both of you. Me and Mona will hold the fort."

Harry nodded "Be careful," he said before looking at me "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I answered nodding.

That was mostly true , but I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting, because I had no clue what lay ahead. I just hoped I could do something to help. The important thing was stopping Lucifer from killing people, and finding Alec, Kian, Victoria and Micheal.

I had to believe we could figure it out and make things right again...