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

Chapter 9.4

Ezra

"Hello, Ezra."

I stared across the room, convinced that all the stress and fatigue of traveling through the jungle and across realms had finally gone to my head. Poe was dead. Nathan killed him in a fight months ago. There was no way he could be standing here in front of me now.

Lightning struck again, the flash sending a shadow of Poe's form across the murals along the wall. He was haggard-looking, with his dark, tousled hair and an unkempt beard. With the exception of his clothing, he was just the same as when he first appeared to me in the Stanwood Vault nearly a year ago.

"You can't be real." I felt rooted to the spot as Poe took a step forward. "I thought-" I choked on the words as they caught in my throat. "I thought I'd lost you."

Poe reached out, his thin fingers pressed against the center of my chest. There was substance behind his touch. "You can't lose me, not really. I'm always right here, inside you."

I looked up at Poe, my great-grandfather, and the hesitation was gone. I threw my arms around him, my head against his shoulder, his arms a safe harbor after the turmoil of the last few weeks.

"Why didn't you come back? I've been at the plantation all summer," I said, forcing myself to take a step back.

Poe shook his head, his eyes shifting over to the lip of the fountain. "Let's sit."

I happily sank onto the ledge, careful not to disturb any of the offerings or candles. This close to the fountain, it was easier to hear the falling water over the downpour outside. Poe stayed on his feet, studying me. It gave me the feeling that I wasn't going to like his answer.

"Ezra, I can no longer return to the realm of the living. Now that the raven form the Great Ones granted me is gone, this is as far as I can come." He gestured at the space around him.

"The Half World?"

"The Temple," he said. "It acts as a halfway point to the realm of the dead, just as the Stanwood Vault and the Manser's Altar acted as a halfway point to this world."

"So, you can't leave the Temple? At all?"

Poe gave me a sad smile. "Correct."

I turned away, leaning my elbows on my knees to bury my head in my hands. "I'm glad we came out here then, and not just for John."

"John?" The confusion in Poe's voice made me look back at him. Concern drawing his eyebrows together and lacing his features as he focused on me. I stared out the door, watching the way the rain fell on the other side of the corridor.

"Ezra, what's happened since I saw you last?"

Oh, where did I even begin?

I started with what had happened after his death, that Nathan had escaped and that we'd found Liam to be working with him.

Poe sank onto the lip of the fountain next to me, disbelief in his eyes.

Next, I told him about how I'd called out to the Lost Children and how Hunter and the Twins had returned. How John had been taken by his family, only to escape again and warn us of another attack on the plantation. How John had been hit with a poisoned dart protecting me from Liam and how that had led to us traveling all the way out here to the Temple hoping the monks would be able to help.

"But I'm afraid we've taken too long getting here. It's already been a week and the monks didn't seem..." I struggled to find the right words but gave up as Poe reached over and rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Where is John now?"

"Down there." I gestured to the doorway, and Poe stood. "The monks took him as soon as we arrived."

"Show me."

I led Poe out of the little shrine and down the rough steps. My mind was wild with thoughts, though I couldn't seem to focus on just one. Would Poe be able to help the monks? Was that why we were rushing back? Or was he just as anxious as I was to see if they were able to save John's power?

The rain was slowly letting up, no longer the heavy downpour that it was. The sky was still clouded over and growing darker by the minute. The sun must have been setting, though I couldn't see any evidence of it.

Slowing down, I paused briefly in the doorway, my eyes searching for Avery and Hunter in the room. They sat together across the way, next to the door that the monks had led John back through.

Avery looked up at me as I came in, but it wasn't until her eyes shifted over my shoulder that she gasped and stood. The movement brought Hunter's head up from where he'd rested it against his knees.

I stepped further into the room, letting Poe come through the doorway. Avery came over quickly but paused awkwardly next to us.

"It's good to see you again," she said, wiping at the tears on her cheek. I hugged her against me.

"It's good to see you as well, Avery," Poe said, but his attention was on the door next to Hunter. "He's back there?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

Hunter climbed to his feet as Poe crossed the room, the confusion on his face morphing to something of concern.

"Wait," Hunter said, reaching a hand out to stop him from passing the threshold. "They won't let us back there. We can't interrupt."

"They'll let me," Poe said, gently pushing Hunter's arm out of his way and stepping through.

Hunter watched a moment as Poe's figure disappeared into the darkness past the door, before he whipped around, focusing a glare at me. "Who the hell was that?! He's going to-"

I raised my hands between us. "Easy. I don't know if Poe can help, but I think he has to see if he can. John's help us both in the past, maybe Poe feels like he owes him something."

Hunter closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair as he started to pace again.

Avery and I exchanged a look, which led to her stepping into my arms. I held her close, resting my chin on top of her strawberry blonde hair.

"I'm glad he's back," she whispered. "I know how much you've missed him."

"Me, too." I would tell her about all the details later. She'd need to know that Poe wouldn't be able to leave the Temple, other than to return to the realm of the dead and back.

Studying the dark doorway, I thanked the Great Ones that at least John had stopped screaming. I wasn't sure my heart could take much more of his agony.