Witch's Bell Book Six, page 24
part #6 of Witch's Bell Series
She stopped herself because she loved him. She truly did.
The past few days had taught her a lesson about love, though. It wasn’t adulation. It wasn’t compliments. It wasn’t presents. It wasn’t devotion.
The clone had shown her that.
True love was the will to give another the means to let them do what they must. It was backing up another’s will; it was giving them access to your support so they could flourish.
It was not just kind words and a smile. Which was all the clone had ever shown Nate.
Ebony stopped.
She stopped because she realized something.
She didn’t need to run from him.
She didn’t need to fear whatever twisted spell of deceit the clone had spun.
All she had to do was rely on herself.
She faced him, as she did, she smiled as mounting realizations arose.
A mirror spell was a particularly potent piece of magic. If used correctly, it could keep the good on the straight and narrow, and it could force the bad to understand where they’d gone wrong in life. It allowed you to see what your choices made you.
To hold a mirror up to yourself was a sacred act. When magic brought your reflection to life, it meant you could no longer turn away from what you were.
Well, Ebony had been doing nothing but turning away from herself for the past several months, let alone days.
Despite her protestations to friends and family, she’d feared she was being dragged under by the dark. She was scared of what she was becoming yet lacked the courage to find out what that truly was.
If anyone needed to look in the mirror, it was Ebony Bell.
But now she realized another important fact: you need to know what you are before you can recognize your reflection.
These last few days had taught her she was more than she had imagined. They’d affirmed she was willing to sacrifice everything for the people she loved.
And that, that was her true self.
Ebony was not the clone, neither was she dark. She was simply herself.
Nate caught her. He wrapped his metal-covered arms around her middle and pressed hard into her back, crumpling over her in an act of protection and control.
He didn’t hold her for long.
Ebony decided to hold a mirror up to herself, her true self.
Drawing on her magic deep within, she cast the spell.
It shifted up from her toes, dividing her in two. The power of it rippled off her, throwing Nate back.
Immediately he plunged forward, trying to grab her arm, but he slipped off.
With a hushed whisper of magic, Ebony Bell became two. Where there had been one woman, there now stood another.
It took a single second of silence, then the clone began to scream. It wasn’t a scream you would associate with anything living, though; it was a raw and ancient sound, one that didn’t belong in this universe.
It hinted at something so far beyond time and space that the sense it left you with was one of complete and utter isolation – the dread of nothingness.
The clone continued to scream, shaking its head in wild fits that saw its hair scatter over its cheeks and shoulders in a tangled mess.
The connection between Ebony and the clone was now broken. Her magic was rushing back in.
When Ebony had held up a mirror to her true self, she’d severed the connection to the clone. With a heart no longer pulled by the haunting thought that she was bad and would never measure up to the personification of good, Ebony had stared within to find her reflection. With a non-judgmental mind, she was now willing to observe herself in all her faults and achievements. Good or bad, beautiful or bedraggled, she didn’t fear what she was, nor what she could become.
The clone clutched its head as it fell to the ground. The sound of that horrendous yell echoing through the cavern sent Nate to his knees. He clutched his hands over his ears as he crumpled down, and as Ebony turned over her shoulder, she realized that everyone else, save for Harry, did the same.
The sound changed the air. It changed the rock. It changed reality. It changed everything. It wasn’t just an ordinary note echoing around her; it punched through matter and magic. As it did, it shattered the spell that had been cast.
The clone continued to clutch harder and harder at its face.
It began to disappear in a flicker of pulsating energy.
The likeness of Ebony was pulled from it as whatever lay beneath broke apart.
Ebony stood there, and she watched.
As the clone disappeared, clutching at its face, it managed to speak before its lips drew into nothingness: “Don’t kill us, Ebony Bell. We don’t want to die. I am you. You are me, and we do not want to die.” With that, the clone disappeared, breaking up into tiny fragments that erupted into sparks and drifted into nothingness.
Well, that had been dramatic, Ebony thought rather inappropriately.
The room still reeled from the ancient note the clone had emitted, and it took some time for the energy to disperse. It burrowed down into the ground and shifted the rock and stone until it disappeared deep into the Earth’s core.
Before the dust had a chance to settle, Ebony turned on her foot, and she took just a second to stare Nate’s way. She blinked quickly. “I love you,” she said simply.
She didn’t have the time to say more. She turned on her foot, and she ran.
She ran right at the Portal.
Harry was still on the other side of the room, and though he was no longer fighting the Coven – as they all appeared to be thoroughly confused – he was standing sufficiently far away from the Portal that he couldn’t stop her.
“No,” he screamed, that one word echoing just as loudly as the clone’s desperate shouts had.
She didn’t turn. She didn’t stop; she ran to the Portal.
She wasn’t going to let Harry go through it. She knew he was right. Legion was trapped on the other side. It was the only thing that made sense. She’d seen him rush toward that crack in space, and the demon in the Lane Between Ends had told her that Legion was out of time.
“Ebony,” Harry roared.
She didn’t listen to him.
She didn’t want to lose anything, and the only way she was going to achieve that was by sacrificing herself.
As Ebony ran, her mirror image ran alongside her, and it was a true mirror image. It copied every movement Ebony made as her hair flicked out behind her and her robe furled around her. It didn’t offer Ben pastries, it didn’t give Nate simpering compliments, it didn’t clap its hands together in prayer; it simply reflected Ebony in every way.
She reached the Portal. It was now in front of her, barely several meters away. As she neared, she felt its energy reaching out to her.
Beckoning her.
Waving her in with formless arms, drawing her forward and inwards.
Her mother screamed at her to stop.
She didn’t.
Harry screamed at her to stop.
She didn’t.
Ebony flung herself forward, yet she didn’t make it through. Instead, somebody grabbed her middle and held her in place, just on the verge of that magical gate.
That somebody was Nate.
“Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare,” he whispered in her ear as he collapsed his arms around her, his head dropping onto her shoulder. “I can’t lose you. I can’t lose you.” His voice was so strangled that it was hardly discernible.
Ebony stopped. There was no way she could move forward. Even though she could break Nate’s grip easily, she just couldn’t fight against him anymore.
“I won’t lose you, Ebony Bell, I won’t lose you,” he said again as tears streaked down his cheeks and made her own cheek wet as he forced his face next to hers.
“Someone has to go through the Portal,” she choked, “to bring Legion back. Otherwise, this reality will end. Legion’s the only force that can stop the creature from the Portal.”
“I’m going through the Portal,” Harry said as he strode up to her. “Nate, you hold her, and you don’t let her go. And next time she tells you that some evil clone is lying to you, you jolly well believe her,” Harry said as he lifted up his sleeves and faced the Portal.
“What’s going on here?” her mother asked desperately.
“Avery Bell, I thought you were smarter than this. Then again, you are a witch, and you do have natural limitations because you don’t have a beard like this.” Harry pointed behind him with his thumb, indicating the enormous trailing mass that was his facial hair. “Right, you want to know what happened? Fine. A crack in reality formed, somehow attached itself to Ebony, and created an evil mirror clone of her so it could trap her, sucking her into the realm beyond the Portal. But Ebony managed to fight it off using Legion. Legion, realizing how important Ebony is to Vale, chose to sacrifice himself by closing up the crack. But in doing so, he traveled to the other side of the Portal. He can’t stay there. For a few days, maybe, a few more hours, yes, but the longer he stays there, the wider the Portal is going to open. Legion is simply too big. He’s the embodiment of every demon, the Alliance of the damned. And that much mass is going to disrupt both realities. He’s also the only force that can keep my city, my universe, and my little witch safe. We need him here. So he needs to be replaced. And the only wizard with a long enough beard and big enough kahunas to do it is this one.” Harry pointed to his chest. “Now, Nate, you hold her, and you never let her go again, because I’m not going to be here for her anymore. And don’t you dare let her go near this Portal; I’m pretty sure that thing on the other side wants her. So don’t let her be stupid enough to sacrifice herself to give it exactly what it wants.”
Harry paused as he walked up the last step of the Portal.
“Harry, don’t do it. Please, don’t leave me,” Ebony begged.
Harry turned over his shoulder, and he looked at her. “Chin up, kid. And you remember to write an epic poem about the great Harry Horseshoe.” With that, Harry walked backward through the Portal.
Though the Portal was not open and there was no great crackling force of energy swelling within it, as soon as Harry walked under the circle, he disappeared. He was simply not there anymore.
There were no cracks, there were no explosions, there was no lightning – no indication of magic at all. Just one thing disappearing forever.
And it would be forever.
Ebony had just lost Harry.
She collapsed.
Though Nate still held onto her and followed her down to the ground, Ebony couldn’t keep herself standing any longer. She sobbed, and she sobbed, repeating his name.
With a soft whisper, the Portal opened, and black swathes of energy buffeted off it. Something emerged, but it wasn’t Harry Horseshoe. It was Legion.
The enormous demon unfurled. It was lucky the cavern was so large. Otherwise it wouldn’t have had the space to spread its enormous wings.
The gargantuan form of Legion took a step forward, its clawed feet slamming into the ground and the sound of it echoing around the high ceiling.
Ebony cried, but she couldn’t move. She had enough energy to stare up at Legion, who twisted its large head around to stare back at her. It didn’t say anything. In fact, it simply stayed there, sharing her gaze for a minute, and then it shifted up, changing form and turning into a black cloud as it raced toward the ceiling. With a hiss, it disappeared between the cracks in the stone. A fragment of it also disappeared back into her chest. She could feel it thumping next to her heart, keeping time with its own beat.
Ebony didn’t know how long she sat there. Though her mother tried to console her, she would not be consoled. Nate, however, didn’t leave her side. He still had his arms wrapped around her middle, and he didn’t say a word.
She didn’t know whether he trusted her, but she hoped that his resolution to be with her now meant that their relationship had survived this ordeal. Even if Harry Horseshoe hadn’t.
Though the spell that had confused Nate and her family was now broken, not all had been saved, nor restored.
Staring with a deadened gaze at the ground, finally Ebony lifted her face to gaze at the Portal. She wanted him to come back; she needed him to come back, but she knew he wouldn’t. Her life had just taken a turn. It would be different from now on. There would be no returning to the past.
20
The house was still and silent, nothing moved, from the curtains, to the cushions, to the fridge. There was nothing to make it move. There was nothing in the foundations to send its magical spark arcing through the ceiling and the books and the cockroaches. There was just silence.
Ebony sat at the table, and she stared across at the window behind the television. She had barely moved ever since she’d returned home, and she’d returned home several days before. While she’d gone to bed, had washed, and had eaten, she’d hardly said a word and she hadn’t felt up to seeing anyone.
But one person stayed by her side, that one person was Nathan Wall. He now knew what Ebony had done to get to Harry; she’d opened up the dark forces of the Lane Between Ends and had set them on Vale. They’d done a fair bit of damage, though thankfully hadn’t caused any injuries or casualties.
There was going to be an investigation, though, and possibly Ebony would lose her job. Despite the fact her actions had been justified, because she’d been trying to save Vale and all, there were some things you couldn’t excuse.
Despite that fact, Nate was still with her. He hadn’t moved out, and neither had he attacked her with his broadsword again. He simply shared her silence and her grief.
As Ebony sat there at the table, her tears began to flow again. She did nothing to stem them; she simply stared out, glassy-eyed, at the window.
Nate walked into the room. He looked down at her face, and he said nothing. Instead, he sat down beside her at the table, pushed his hand flat over the wood, and stared at his knuckles and fingers in turn. “Ebony,” he said finally.
She didn’t face him.
He didn’t proceed to say that everything was okay, that they would get through this, and that one day everything would be bright and happy again. He simply repeated her name, and then he repeated it one last time until Ebony broke down and began crying in earnest.
She threw herself at Nate and nestled her head against his chest, not caring that her tears quickly soaked through his shirt.
He didn’t push her away, neither did he try to soothe her with trite words.
Harry was gone, and worse than that, the creature that was coming through the Portal was now after Ebony.
Things had heated up to boiling point, and they would not simmer down from here on.
Though Ebony had avoided disaster for Vale, disaster was still on the horizon. There would be more battles, they would be more frequent, and very soon she knew instinctively they would reach their finale.
“I’ll keep you safe from the Portal,” he mumbled. “I won’t let you be taken through there,” he tried again.
She didn’t respond. She would have sacrificed herself in place of Harry, even if that had played into the hands of the creature beyond the Portal. Because right now, Ebony would do anything to relieve her grief. She didn’t want to be feeling this, yet there was nothing she could do to lift it.
Ebony now cried all the harder, and Nate rocked her back and forth in his arms.
In silence, they remained together, punctuated only by Ebony’s sobs until she finally exhausted herself altogether.
She would never forget Harry. Though she still had Nate and she still had her family, the memory of her bookstore would live on forever.
Ebony Bell was going to do more than simply not forget him, though. She was going to do everything she possibly could to get him back.
She doubted he was dead. He was so steely and old and rambunctious and blustery that no matter what he faced on the other side of the Portal, he would survive it. Legion had survived it, after all, and the enormous demon wasn’t nearly as rude as Harry Horseshoe. So, even though grief filled her, Ebony made a promise. She was going to get him back. She was going to do everything she could to get him back. Though he was lost to her now, she refused to lose him forever. Harry Horseshoe was a part of her, and she was not going to give him up.
Thank you for reading Witch’s Bell Book Six.
Book Seven is currently available.
Witch’s Bell Book Seven
The writing is on the wall; the end is here. Will Ebony save Vale, keep Nate, and – importantly – live to tell the tale? Or will this ending need a sacrifice…?
Witch’s Bell Series Information
Witch’s Bell Book Two
Drop-dead-gorgeous wizards, sinister criminals from the past, men with agendas, and a certain jealous knight – can Ebony survive when something rises from the past to swallow her?
Witch’s Bell Book Three
Broken realities, legendary enemies, and crows at her window – who wants their dreams to become real?
Witch’s Bell Book Four
Forbidden time spells, ghosts from Harry’s past, and an unsolved mystery – this is why you shouldn’t get up on a rainy day.
Witch’s Bell Book Five
Brushes with death, a demon of Legion, and only Harry to keep her company – it’s time for Ebony to find out what she means to a certain Detective Wall.
Witch’s Bell Book Six
Dead witches, irritating clones, and a glimpse into the dark – Ebony’s Destiny will no longer wait.
Witch’s Bell Book Seven
The writing is on the wall; the end is here. Will Ebony save Vale, keep Nate, and – importantly – live to tell the tale? Or will this ending need a sacrifice…?
www.odettecbell.com
Do you want to read more great fiction? For plenty of free series starters, serializations, and information on current and upcoming titles, visit www.odettecbell.com today.
To sign up for the Odette C. Bell new-release newsletter, head to www.odettecbell.com/sign-up-forms/sign-up-2
For a full list of series, head here: www.odettecbell.com/books
Thank you for reading!
_preview.jpg)
