Magic

Chapter 5 - Secrets Revealed

"Run, Nicole. I need you to run as far and as fast as you can." The strong, confident voice Marcus usually carries is now shaky and broken. His face is pale; his eyes wide with fear. He fumbles with the ropes binding me to a chair, until I'm finally free. "Go, please. Chloe will protect you. It's too dangerous for you here."

I'm scared and shaking uncontrollably. I know I need to run, it's the safest thing to do, even though I don't know why. Something bad is happening, something that shakes me to my core. I'm about to run, when leaves rustle in the distance. I freeze when I see Nathan rise to his feet. Marcus pleads with me to leave, but I can't leave him, I won't. 

"I'm not leaving you," I yell through my tears. 

Marcus firmly grabs my face and kisses me, hard. "I need you to go. Things are about to get ugly, and I won't risk your safety." His voice cracks and tears fill his eyes. "Please, baby, I need you to go with Chloe. Do this...for me." 

"If it's too dangerous for me, it's too dangerous for you." I whisper, keeping my eyes on Nathan. 

I reach out for Marcus, but he pushes my hand away and steps back. "Go. Nathan is stronger than I thought. Having you here puts me at greater risk. You need to get far away from him." I try to step toward him, but he takes a step back, keeping the distance between us. "Go with Chloe, she'll keep you safe."

"Marcus." My voice is barely a whisper.

In a flash, he's standing in front of me, kissing me once more. "I'll be right behind you." The words are a lie, but they're still comforting. "I love you."

There is no goodbye, no promise everything will be fine. That worries me.

I feel a hand on my shoulder. Chloe is ready to take me to safety. I hold his hand until his fingers slip from mine. I feel a pain in my heart as I walk away. With each step, the pain grows stronger. Then I realize, it isn't my pain I'm feeling, it's his. Tears roll down my cheeks. I'm never going to see him again.

This fight is going to happen, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. I'm going to have to watch from afar while the man I love engages in a fight that will likely kill him. This is too much. My knees shake, forcing me to stop and drop to the ground. This can't really be happening.

Screams and flashes of light are bursting all around us. Chloe forces me to my feet and pulls me through the forest until she feels we're far enough away. She knows I want to watch this fight, regardless of the outcome. Her job is to keep me safe. She'll keep me away from danger, but close enough to see Marcus. It's her way of a compromising.

My breathing is heavy and my heart is pounding as I watch Marcus and Nathan stare each other down. Even from far away I can feel the tension, and it's getting worse. From the shadows, two giants emerge, their faces and arms scarred from battles. Their eyes are black as coal while red clouds dance around their hands. Even with all his power, I fear Marcus won't be able to beat them.

Smiles of death envelope the giants faces. There're hungry for a fight, ready to take a bite out of Marcus. They join Nathan, and together move toward Marcus. Each step seems to shake the ground. I'm terrified, but Marcus doesn't flinch. With a twitch of his fingers I realize he's just waiting for the right moment.

Marcus slowly raises his hands. He claps them together, sending a shockwave through the air, knocking the giants to the ground. Nathan digs in his heels, fighting to stay on his feet, but Marcus is able to push him back. While the three struggle to return to their feet, Alex and Sam appear on either side on Marcus. I have no idea where they came from, but I'm relieved.