The Catalyst

Chapter 48

Jaden leaned against a tree in darkness, disoriented and dizzy. At first because of what went down with Mikael and his demon, then something else entirely as he was shown a different reality. He saw a cave with paintings on the rock wall. Noah and Dharkan were there . . . but something was wrong, Noah was in a lot of pain, so much that he passed out. Visions from the distant past dominated his dreams, some of them flashing across Jaden's mind now. Then Noah suffered from another type of ache, he'd lost . . . something very important. Tears welled up in Jaden's eyes as he struggled to maintain his sanity.

Then it all went away.

. . . What the hell was that about?

Breathing hard, Jaden looked up at the moon through leafless branches. Was he going insane? It seemed like the only explanation.

The sound of someone sobbing brought him back to this reality. Jaden sniffed, wiped his eyes, and stumbled his way back to the clearing where the siblings sat despondently beside their father.

Mikael was unrecognizable. Crumpled, almost skeletal, his wrinkled skin so black it gleamed in the moonlight. Jaden shuddered, and hesitated to approach. Their father was dead because of him.

Kitera looked up and noticed him standing there, but words seemed to fail her. Bryani started to walk away but he tripped and fell, and it looked like he was about to be sick. Jaden reflexively swept to his side, wanting to help, except Bryani raised a shaky hand to keep him away.

Then seemed to regret it. "Sorry, Jaden, I just—"

A scream tore up through the night, and they all turned in the direction of the house.

"That's mom!" Kitera exclaimed and made a run for it, Bryani and Jaden on her heel.

They found her in a bedroom with a four-poster bed and delicate wooden furniture. A very old woman looking at herself in the glass, completely horrified. Kitera brought her hand to her lips, Bryani faltered and gripped the doorframe, and Jaden stood back, feeling helpless, and useless.

"You killed him!" she accused. "You killed him!" Jaden flinched, even though she was addressing her children. "Get out!" she yelled.

Kitera and Bryani stumbled back and closed the door.

"What did we do?" Bryani whispered shakily.

In the living room, they found some of Mikael's followers.

"It's over," Kitera said. "He's dead. You can stay the night, but then you have to leave."

"Wait, you should know this." Jaden stepped forward, glancing from one bewildered face to the next. "I can free you from your demons, if you want me to. You have that option."

Bryani cleared his throat. "It's true. He did it for me."

"So Tessa was right." Kitera blinked tears away. "You found it, then, the catalyst? The real one."

Jaden took her around the base of the stairs so they'd be away from prying ears, leaving Bryani to deal with the amateur dark mages. 

"You guys can, um, sleep in the basement, I guess ," Bryani was saying. 

Turning back to Kitera, Jaden hurriedly unlaced and opened his shirt, revealing the opal sliver.

Her eyes went wide with disbelief. "Is that . . . Tessa's necklace?"

"Yes." Jaden laced up his shirt. "It's a long story . . . well, maybe not long, but definitely weird. Listen, I'm so sorry about what happened."

Kitera glanced away. "It's not your fault. My father brought this upon himself." Then a thought seemed to strike her. "Sofi! Maybe you can help her. Come with me."