Reapers - Master of Souls (Reapers Chronicles Book III)

33 - Spell (1 of 2)

You're throwing me off beat

So I can't breathe

I just wanna get to show you

If we're falling apart

I will fight for your heart 

33 - Spell

Sinclair Mansion couldn't have looked more out of place in the woods, more so, this time period. From the outside, it looked like something that was taken out of the middle ages, then placed in the middle of nowhere where no one would find it. Perhaps, because such was the case.

The original Sinclair Mansion was built around 1400's. Turned out, Madame Roselle came from an aristocrat family in the village of Roslin, Scotland. Following the destruction from a war, Vladimir and Vincent moved to the Americas, built an exact replica of the mansion near a huge hole in the woods bordering Ashland and Centralia, and planted a weeping willow tree out front.

Talk about maximum effort. I guess it was just their strange way of honoring the Madame.

I was disappointed to find that Belial hadn't come back when we arrived inside the mansion. As we waited, I busied myself standing toppled furniture while Vincent waited by the hallway of Doors.

Years of neglect and abuse had made the once lively drawing room depressing to look at. It made me wonder if this lonely room, this lonely house would ever be happy again.

Before my thoughts could wander, Vincent came running from the hallway.

"They've figured it out," he said, laughing. "They found the spell! We gotta go!"

Without further explanation, he towed me deep into the maze-like corridors of the mansion, our footfalls echoing against the granite walls.

Vincent parted the cobwebs that had draped halfway down the walls. Broken furniture scattered about. Dust rained from the ceiling, making for an uncomfortable passage.

I fanned the dust that floated in front of me. "When all of this is over, please don't put me on clean-up duty."

Vincent glanced at me, forcing back a smirk. "No worries. Once Legion's all settled in maximum security, we'd ninja our way out and fly straight to Bora Bora before Vlad could give us our next assignments."

"Oh... You really have this all planned out, don't you?" I muttered, my voice leaking irony.

"I promised we'd run away," he answered offhandedly, peering at me from the corner of his eye.

He hastened his pace. His legs were longer than mine so I had to jog to catch-up.

I was thankful for the darkness. It was my ally, hiding the burn in my cheeks. My heart went to a full-throttle as his words started to sink in. The idea of running away just sounded so unthinkable and so out of this world, especially with our current circumstances that it brought an unexpected excitement pumping through my veins.

But it also scared me. Because he was already seeing a future for us and I wasn't.

We were in the hallway of Spirit Doors when he slowed down. I counted from Doors one through eleven. At the end of it was a turn to the left, leading to what seemed like a dead end. I could remember,though, that it was the hidden Door to Halo.

On the opposite corners of the wall were matching candle holders made of bronze.

"What about the others?" I asked him.