Invoke

Chapter 32

She could not see their eyes. They were hidden under the hood of their cloaks. But she felt them. Their hard stares touched at her deeply. The silent wondering from them screamed in the night to her. She was within now, and she realized suddenly that she simply stood, unmoving. Her legs were like heavy appendages attached to her body. Her certainty that this would work was brief, and now the spade of doubt was sinking in.

She knew where she was to go. Regina had given her explicit instructions on where to stand within the circle. But she just couldn't move. They were all looking on to her, chanting loudly, lost in their mantra of magic. Regina was doing the same, consumed by the moment of the spell she was conjuring.

Scarlett spotted the powdered drawn circle within the center. It was perfectly round, and brilliantly white. Its empty space was small, yet enough for her to stand within. This was it. This was her moment. She closed her eyes and stepped into it, channeling Veronica, and then allowing her mind to feed her images of past and present.

They were sharp fast flashes of her life that took root inside of her. It was immediate and merciless. She was a child grasping the hand of her mother, happy and carefree. Then with a strike, the buried memories of the accident flooded through her. They were raw and unfiltered. It was as if the gates had opened, and every tender memory, every thought she had hidden, was set free. It caused her throat to tighten with the pain it evoked.

Regina's voice fractured the air suddenly, then the chanting ceased abruptly. Her tone was empty of the warmth Scarlett was familiar with, but now resonated with a firm authority.

"We summon to bring an end to the story of Storms Light. To finish the hatred between two souls that linger in the dimension of the living."

She lifted her palms up to the sky, her eyes focused on the moon. "But we must go back." Her eyes shifted to Scarlett then, staring at her hard, her black eyes blazing with magic.

"Back to the beginning of their story."

Scarlett swallowed, her eyes locked on Regina.

"Clear your mind. You must focus." Veronica's voice whispered thickly in her ear.

There was alarm within it, and Scarlett looked to Regina, baring the fear she felt.

Regina's voice grew louder then, her head lifting higher to the sky.

"Every person has sides. Like a coin, there are two."

Her arms were stretched to Scarlett, and then she broke the hold of the circle, moving within it now. The drumming began then, pulsing loudly. The uniformed rhythm beat at her heart.

The box began to vibrate in her hands, nearly shaking within her hold. Scarlett quickly put it down before her, stepping back, but careful not to leave the protection of the charmed wall she was standing within.

The voices started then. Like white noise running inside of her head. There were so many of them speaking at the same time, reaching out from their world. She put her hand to her temple, pushing down to numb the slice of pain it gave her. She couldn't stop them. They were rushing at her, fast and unforgiving. She was unable to answer, her voice refusing to make a sound. There were too many. All their voices spoke in unison, searching for their truth, and becoming angry with her lack of response.

But through the tempest, a voice that brought her ease broke in.

"Do not part from the circle," Veronica's voice was desperate, "she comes."