They weren’t the only ones ill at ease. Baptiste slid his hands slowly over his bald head, exhaling slowly. Benchley nervously scratched his nose, while his sister frowned at the tips of her battered sneakers. Jeff rubbed Samantha’s back gently, trying to soothe her, but the ugly scowl on her face did not disappear. Only Eduardo didn’t seem affected to what was about to occur. He leaned against the wall, tapping his fingers against it.
“Something’s gone wrong,” Aimee whispered.
“Yeah, we’re going all Guantanamo on Etzli,” Benchley answered.
Baptiste grimly dipped his head. “Not a good feeling.”
“Kinda like we’re the bad guys now,” Benchley agreed.
“No, that’s not it!” Aimee lifted her blue eyes and Cassandra saw stark fear in them. “Something is here!”
“Oh, God! I feel it!” Samantha took a step away from the door, visibly shivering as revulsion poured into her expression. “It’s full of death and...and...”
“Evil,” Aimee finished for her.
“Well, it is Etzli,” Alexia pointed out, but she also retreated down the hall.
“Maybe you’re feeling Cian...you know...torturing her.” The suggestion obviously made Jeff very uncomfortable, but he, too, took a few cautious steps backward.
“It’s not Etzli. It’s him!” Samantha started toward the door. Jeff futilely tried to tug her back, but Samantha twisted away from him. “Let go! He’s here!”
Aimee fell in behind Samantha, magic beginning to spark around her fingertips.
“How can you be sure?” Cassandra took a step toward the door and froze.
“Uh...that?” Benchley nearly stumbled in his haste to get away from the cell.
Black magic coursed out around the edges of the door giving it a dark, wispy aura. Ribbons of frosty energy lashed out, Aimee and Samantha both flinching under the assault. Cassandra cried out as she was whipped by the magic, welts appearing on her flesh where they struck. .
“I can see that!” Jeff exclaimed.
“Dude, we all can!” Benchley grabbed Alexia’s arm and shoved her behind him as he backed in the direction of the stairwell.
Baptiste surged forward. “We need to get them out of there!”
Cassandra was a few steps in front of him. Raising her arms to protect her face, she plunged past Samantha and Aimee. She pivoted on one foot and kicked out with the other, the heel of her boot striking the door. It took three more kicks to knock it entirely off its hinges. Baptiste thrust out his hands, a gust of warm air shoving the falling door out of their way so it spun across the cell floor.
“Oh, hell!” Samantha gasped.
A massive hole spread along the wall directly across from the doorway. It was filled with darkness and inky threads crawled along the floor, ceiling and walls like swiftly growing vines. Cian lay close to the door, his sword at his side. There was no sign of Amaliya or Etzli. The shackles that had bound Etzli were empty.
“It’s a portal!” Benchley waved at the maw of shadows. “It’s a portal!”
Tendrils of shadow lashed out toward the doorway. The floor beneath Cian shuddered, cracked, and started to give way. Cassandra grabbed her father under the armpits and dragged him out of the room seconds before the floor broke apart and fell into a pit opening up beneath the foundation of the house.
“This isn’t good!” Samantha cried out.
“Everyone out!” Jeff ordered.
There was a mad scramble to the stairs. Aimee tossed a few orbs of energy at the spreading darkness. Small explosions of energy filled the air with an acrid smell, but did not deter the black magic. The pitch-black filaments snaked past the threshold and spread into the hallway, forcing the witch to retreat.
“Well, that didn’t work,” Aimee muttered, then turned and fled.
Cassandra heaved her unconscious father over her shoulders and raced behind Aimee and the others toward the stairs to the main floor. Behind them the ceiling broke apart with a mighty crack and cement dust filled the air. Choking on the mix of chilly air and smut, Cassandra clambered up the stairs. Violent coughing drew her attention downward. Alexia was at the base of the stairs, doubled over and trying to catch her breath. Clutched in her hands were several external hard drives.
“Baptiste,” Cassandra managed to force out of her clogged throat. “Alexia’s in trouble!”
The elemagus’s tall frame pressed past the witch and dhamphir to the tiny woman below. His sweater was pulled over his mouth to keep the dusty air out of his airways. Once Cassandra saw he had Alexia, she continued her ascent, following in Aimee’s wake.
Out of the corner of her eye, Cassandra saw the black tendrils rapidly crawling along the walls, flanking their ascent. With a burst of speed, the dhamphir scrambled upward under her heavy burden, her hand grabbing Aimee’s. Dragging her girlfriend along, Cassandra trailed behind the others in a desperate dash to get out of the house. The shadowy serpents of black magic slithered over the floor and walls and wove through the building, ripping it apart.
The house gave out a loud moan before the ground floor began to buckle and cave in.
“Hurry, hurry!” voices rang out through the haze.
Cassandra stumbled a few times, but Aimee helped her along. Cian started to rouse, moaning against her back. She didn’t dare set him down until they escaped. The outside lights were a cloudy blur in the thick, choking air. Cassandra aimed for the illumination, banging into furniture as she fled. There was a loud whoosh then a tunnel of clear air formed before her. Baptiste’s magic sizzled along their escape route, holding back the thick haze.
They reached the front door just as the house shuddered violently. The sound of concrete cracking, girders bending, and glass shattering was a terrifying dissonance. Dodging chunks of the house as it toppled, the witch, dhamphir, elemagus and the people they had rescued scurried toward the street.
Benchley’s van backfired loudly as he started it. The side door was open. Jeff, Samantha, and Eduardo were already inside on the rear seat, all three covered in a thick layer of dust and trying to clear out their throats and lungs. Cassandra helped Aimee inside just as the house gave another loud groan before breaking apart and disappearing into the gaping sinkhole opening beneath it.
“What the hell...” Cian muttered, finally coming to as Cassandra shoved him onto the middle bench.
“You missed some stuff,” Cassandra said sliding in beside him.
Baptiste tucked Alexia into the front seat before jumping into the back, crouching on the floor and sliding the side door shut.
“Go! Go! Go!” Jeff shouted.
Cassandra glanced toward the house to see the sinkhole spreading outward. The van’s tires squealed as the vehicle raced up the street, Benchley honking the horn wildly as he drove.
“What are you doing?” Alexia panted.
“Trying to warn the neighbors,” Benchley answered.
Joining the others in looking out the back window to watch the destruction, Cassandra wrapped an arm around Cian in an attempt to console him.
“It’s not spreading past the property line,” Aimee observed, relief in her voice.
“He took her.” There was deadness in the words.
“Yeah, Dad. I’m so sorry.” Cassandra hugged him, not sure if he would accept her sympathy.
To her surprise, he lifted one arm, draped it over her shoulders, and held her close. “It was inevitable.”
The van swerved around a corner and sped along a dimly lit street.
“Benchley, slow down! It’s not following!” Jeff ordered. “We don’t need to crash!”