Will of the Witch [Legacy, BK 2 - Completed]

Chapter 15.2

Ezra

Liam could have dropped an 'F' bomb and caused less shock than that sentence. I glanced at my Dad. His expression was stern.

This wasn't right, Liam going against Dad. What the hell had happened to him while we were gone? What nonsense had Nathan convinced him of now? Thinking of the war camp on the other side, waiting for Nathan to bring them over, the Gods only knew what that mad man wanted to do next.

"Oh, don't look so worried, Ezra. I've plans for you, too," Liam said, bringing my attention back to him.

Kastem growled and was echoed by another roll of thunder. The wind was howling through the trees now, and it was only a matter of time before the rain fell with force.

"I'm not worried about that," I lied to him. "I'm just trying to figure out what I'm supposed to tell Mom."

Surprise flickered over Liam's features. He lifted the knife and pointed it at me. "You won't be telling her anything."

Before I could figure out what to do next, lightning struck close enough the ground shook and the air smelled of ozone. The flash was blinding, and I blinked furiously to clear my eyes. Dad gave a shout of pain next to me. I cursed, turning to him.

I found Liam holding a knife to Dad's throat, a wound already bleeding heavily from Dad's shoulder. He had been fast, using the lightning strike as a distraction. Liam's tight grip on Dad's hair exposed his neck to the blade.

"Say goodbye-" Liam paused, frowning at me. "Where's-"

Kastem lunged at him from the shadows of a nearby headstone. Liam dropped his hold on Dad as he turned to defend himself from the demon. I rushed over as Dad collapsed to his knees, holding his wounded arm. As I dropped next to him, he waved me off.

"Stop him," he breathed.

A yelp of pain pulled me to my feet, and I refocused on where Kastem was. He'd chased Liam into the Vault.

The rain came down in sheets and, by the time I got to the Vault's entrance, my clothes were soaked through. In the Vault, Kastem lay on his side, a long gash opened along his left flank. Liam was climbing to his feet with the help of the stone bench Poe and I had once sat on. The light from the large battery camping lantern showcasing the claw marks bleeding on the old burn scars on Liam's face.

"Everyone talks about how fearsome a Summoner's demon is, but I haven't seen anything special yet." Liam pulled the blade up to inspect it, then carefully licked the blood from the edge. "Ah, but the taste, now that's different."

I froze, both disgusted and worried. Liam had become seriously unhinged. I could feel Kastem struggling to stand and mentally commanded him to stay down. Liam was still standing over the demon and, even though he was focused on me, I didn't want him to kill Kastem.

"Come here, brother, or I'll gut your pet like a fish."

Liam said the word brother like he had a sour taste in his mouth. I eased into the Vault slowly, not wanting to startle him.

"We could talk about this, you know. Work something out." I rambled, trying to buy time until I thought of a way out of this mess. There was no way I could build a portal and get us all through it before Liam got another hit in with his knife.

"Nah, I think I'm done talking." Liam's eyes glanced behind me, and that was all the warning I got before the zombie was on me.

The stench of rotting flesh overpowered that of the damp earth and rain. And despite the fact that the zombie's clothes were hanging off its body in strips and the skin was shriveled and mottled grey-green in the lantern's light, the zombie had a grip like ungiving steel. No matter which way I moved or squirmed, I couldn't slip free of the dead arms that wrapped around my upper body, pinning my arms down.

Liam's smile stretched the gashes on his cheek. "Bring him here."

The zombie pushed me further into the Vault, even as I struggled and tried to anchor my feet to prevent it from doing so. As Liam was the one to raise it from the grave, he had complete control over the zombie until he ran out of power or died. Only then could another Stanwood take control of it.

Liam paced closer, pulling a syringe out of his jacket, and I didn't need to guess what the contents were. He was going to try for round two, and there was no one left to stop him.

"Now, be still. Nathan doesn't need you to use your power. He just needs your blood." Liam moved in, uncapping the needle.

I struggled harder, trying anything to peel myself free from the zombie's grip. It was useless. My heart raced painfully in my chest, my body aching from the squeeze. My only hope was to summon another demon, but I couldn't move my arms enough to do the movements. Kastem was the only one I could summon without them.

As if my thoughts had revived him, Kastem rose up in a surge of power, knocking the syringe from Liam, sending it across the stone floor and nearly out into the rain. I watched helplessly as they fought and Kastem took another jab of Liam's knife. With a shriek of pain, he collapsed again and didn't move. Liam straightened and turned to me with the knife.

Screaming, I tried again to free myself from the zombie but got nowhere. I couldn't lose another. Not like this. Not like Poe.

"Why?" I shouted at him. "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm done with talking," Liam said. "And I'm done trying to bring you to him alive. He can use your dead blood just as well as if you're alive."

Mentioning Nathan brought me back to my senses, and I bit back the pain. Liam was bleeding more, and he limped slightly as he walked toward me.

"Is that why he took Lyssa?" I asked. "To use her blood?"

"Why else?" Liam said, swiping at the blood dripping from his chin. "It's not like she'd willingly help him, even though he did ask so politely. Now, time to say goodbye, Ezra."

Moving in closer with the knife, Liam reached for me but stumbled at the last moment, shuddering forward a step as shock bloomed on his scarred face. He turned, and I caught sight of Dad standing behind him, breathing heavily as he grasped at his wounded shoulder. The syringe was stuck in Liam's side, the plunger depressed all the way.

Liam dropped to the stone floor, sweat beading his forehead as the poison worked quicker than it had with John.

Dad stepped around Liam, reaching for the zombie with his good hand. "Are you okay? Did he get you?"

"No, not me, Kastem." A chill ran over my skin as he took control and the zombie's grip loosened. I ducked free as soon as I could and rushed to the demon laid out on the stone floor.

He wasn't moving. Blood matted the fur of his coat, making it even darker in the dim light. Curling over Kastem's body, I couldn't feel anything but pain in my chest. How had I let this happen again?

A low whine came from below me and Kastem shifted a fraction of an inch. I froze, the pain fleeing my chest in a rush of air.

"Shhh, just be still. I'm going to get us out of here. Just hang on." I glanced back to see Dad escorting the zombie back to the graveyard to lay it to rest. With my arms aching, I reached out and summoned a portal back to Avery's place, and I prayed to the gods that Kaylee would be able to help Kastem.  

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There's just one more update left - a 'little' wrap-up chapter to led us into Book 3! I hope you all are have enjoyed Will of the Witch. I'll have some more information for you after tomorrow's update.