Chapter 36

"What is Soul Taker?" Kristen inquired, fixing her gaze on Tierney.

Tierney, with a lingering sadness in her tone, explained, "It's a spell that lets me talk to a soul and put it in limbo."

"That's cool," Niall remarked, a smile playing on his face.

"Yes and no," Dean interjected, a hint of anger in his voice. "If used too much, it will take over your body."

Courtney, her curiosity piqued, asked, "What do you mean?"

"It's like Blood Magic," Tierney elucidated, locking eyes with Courtney. "When you use that spell, it takes something from you. In other words, Blood Magic can kill you, just like Soul Taker Magic. It takes away your mind until there is nothing left."

"So, Courtney," Tierney approached and walked over to her, "do not use that spell unless you have to."

Dean concurred with a smile, saying, "She's right. We don't want you to die on us."

"So, where do we start?" Niall inquired with a smile.

"You love to just get to the point," Kristen teased Niall. "Yes, I do," he laughed.

"Let's see what we have around inside this room," Dean suggested as he got up from where he was sitting. "Niall, you take the west side; Kristen, you take the east side," Tierney directed, pointing at each spot in the room. "Dean, you take the north side, and I will take the south side of the room."

"What about me?" Courtney, still sitting on the sofa, asked.

"You just sit there and look pretty," Tierney chuckled, looking at Courtney. "You just relax."

"Okay," Courtney laughed, smiling. As everyone dispersed to their assigned areas, they delved into numerous books on the shelves, scrutinizing each one with care.

"What are we looking for exactly?" Niall questioned as he examined a shelf of books in different languages.

"How do you know that?" Dean asked, peering over to where Niall was.

"Because I've learned Latin, Spanish, French, German, and ASL," Niall answered with a smile. "My parents are both university professors."

"Yeah, he's a nerd," Kristen teased, looking at Niall. "His parents made him learn all those languages right when he was in his mother."

"It's not my fault they wanted to play with languages instead of music," Niall responded with a touch of annoyance.

"That's cool," Selena chimed in with a smile. "It helps a lot to know that information." Kristen, at the last shelf, could hear sounds emanating from it.

"Hey, guys!" Kristen called out as she leaned in closer. "I think I hear people over here." As everyone gathered around the shelf, Kristen started searching through the books, revealing two people talking.

"Do you think it's a trap?" Niall questioned, looking at everyone.

"I don't know," Courtney said, finally off the sofa and next to Niall. "But the voices sound familiar."

"I don't see any switches or anything that will make this shelf open," Kristen observed, continuing to inspect the shelf. "Maybe I can blink into the room."

"I don't know if it will work," Tierney warned, looking at Kristen.

"There's only one way to find out," Kristen asserted, closing her eyes. "Just be careful, okay," Dean said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I will," Kristen replied, disappearing. "I hope she's okay," Courtney said, touching the bookshelf.

~~~~~~~

"How are we going to get out of this glass room?" Kathrine questioned, frustrated as she paced around the room, finding only a bookshelf on one wall. "All I'm finding is a bookshelf on that wall."

"It's okay," Carlyle reassured, looking at his sister. "We will find a way, I promise."

"I know; it's just pissing me off," Kathrine exclaimed, grabbing the chair Victor had been sitting on and throwing it at the glass wall. "Not even the chair can break the glass."

"Kathrine," Carlyle said with a smile as he approached her, "if Victor can get out, we can too."

"How do you know that?" Kathrine asked, grabbing the chair again and throwing it at the glass, this time breaking the chair, not the glass. "Is this glass made of steel?"

"Okay, Amazon woman," Carlyle laughed, looking at the broken chair. "Calm down before you hurt yourself." Suddenly, a figure appeared next to the bookshelf.

"Holy crap," Carlyle jumped, startled. "Warn a person next time."

"Kristen, is that you?" Kathrine asked as she ran over to her.

"Kathrine," Kristen said, hugging her. "Carlyle, we found you."

"Where is everyone else?" Carlyle asked, looking around.

"They are behind this bookshelf," Kristen said with a smile.

"Are you kidding me?" Kathrine exclaimed as she walked over to the bookshelf. "This bookshelf is going to die."

"What's wrong with her?" Kristen laughed, pointing at Kathrine.

"She thinks she's an Amazon woman," Carlyle chuckled. "Mostly, she is going crazy."

"I can see that," Kristen said as Kathrine started to throw all the books on the shelf onto the floor. "Let's see if you can survive this," Kathrine declared, making a fist. "Taste my fire, you asshole." As Kathrine punched the bookshelf, fire enveloped it.

"She has lost her mind," Kristen said as Kathrine punched it again, this time with water, turning the fire into smoke.

"Do you feel better?" Carlyle asked, placing his hand on Kathrine's shoulder.

"Yes, I am," Kathrine said with a smile. When the smoke disappeared, the bookshelf was gone, replaced by a door.

"Ooh," Kathrine laughed with a sassy tone, "a door." When Kathrine opened the door, it revealed a room with books on shelves all over.

"Kathrine," Tierney yelled as she ran over to her daughter, "Carlyle."

"Mom," Kathrine and Carlyle said at the same time as they ran to Tierney.

"Victor did not do anything to you guys," Selena assured, looking all around.

"No, he just told us a story," Carlyle said as he looked at everyone, stopping when he saw Niall.

"At least you're okay," Niall said, smiling at Carlyle.

"Yeah," Carlyle replied, smiling back. "He told us why he killed our grandma."

"Your what?" Courtney, holding onto Dean's arm, asked.

"What happened to you?" Kathrine questioned as she walked over to Courtney.

"I lost my sight," Courtney said with a smile. "Nothing to worry about."

"But how?" Kathrine hugged Courtney tight.

"I used a spell and lost my sight," Courtney explained as she hugged Kathrine back.

"So what is this grandma thing?" Niall, still looking at Carlyle, asked.

"Victoria Riverside is our grandma," Carlyle said as he too was still looking at Niall.

"So, you know the truth," Selena said, looking at Carlyle and Kathrine.

"Where is Thomas?" Kathrine looked around.

"He is gone," Dean said. "He helped me and your mother defeat Justin."

"What?" Carlyle turned his head fast to look at Dean. "But how."

"He used a spell that took him away," Tierney said, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Kathrine said as she hugged her.

"Let's sit down," Dean suggested, pointing at the sofa and chairs. "We need to tell you everything."