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Chapter 4

Pain swelled through my body, as my eyes were shut. Even if I wanted to look at the arrow the pain was too overwhelming, I couldn't move let alone open my eyes. I felt the rush as the arrow moved through the air, it was so close to me now. As my body braced itself for the impact, I felt a warm layer of something slide over me and coating my body. The arrow pushed at me, but the layer of warmth around me acted like a shield bouncing the arrow back.

"Cara!" I heard Taylor's voice, he was shouting but it was very distant.

My pulse picked up as I fought to open my eyes. I should have been dead by now. My strength renewed as s surge of energy moved through my body. I pushed my hands against the concrete managing to get up to a sitting position as I opened my eyes and stared into the surprised face of the grey haired man. But his features were not clear, it was as it I was look at him through a net curtain. A small veil of purple energy vibrated in the air between me and my attacker. I looked down and could see how small threads of purple energy were working away at the shadowy chains. They snaked through the chain links, breaking them into pieces. I stared in shock, as one by one scattered around my body. They vanished into thin air as suddenly as they had appeared. I felt the surge of energy rise up within me, for each chain link that disappeared power was returning to my limbs. The pain had completely vanished and I turned around looking at the grey haired man on the other side of the veil. His hand moved as he was reaching into his coat pocket and I sensed the metal ball by its energy before my eyes had even landed on it.

"He'll attack again!" I screamed in complete terror.

Flashes of purple energy shot past me on both sides, attacking him like two vicious snakes. As they collided with him, his body sunk down as he collapsed on the ground. The metal ball in his hand rolled away, across the street. I stared at it, terrified that it would open but I couldn't sense any energy moving within it anymore. A huge weight lifted off me, as the last of the chain links vanished into thin air.

"Cara, are you okay?" Taylor was by my side, his hands grabbing a hold of my two shaking ones.

I felt at a loss for words, I could only nod my head yes as I felt the vibration of energy pass through his hands and into mine. The energy hummed through my body and strangely seemed to comfort me.

"What happened?" I breathed out the words.

Taylor grabbed my hands and pulled me up. I was standing next to him now, for a second I thought about how tall he was but I quickly pushed that thought out of my mind. I looked at him again, as if I was seeing him for the first time. Whatever had just happened, I knew within my core that Taylor had just saved me.

"Looks like someone's put out a hunting order on you," Taylor said.

"A what order?" I asked, I felt the fear creep back into my chest.

Taylor walked over to the grey haired man and rolled him over, studying his face and chest.

"Is he dead?" I asked dumbly.

I had no idea what had happened and what was going on, but it seemed like a valid question. The last thing I needed right now would be to be part in some bizarre murder.

Taylor shook his head, "No, he's not dead. I just stunned him and momentarily drained him of his powers."

"Powers?" I echoed.

He looked over at me, as if he for the first time realised something, "You don't know anything about all of this do you?"

"All of what?" I replied.

He sighed deeply and started going through the pockets of the grey haired man, "I'll explain everything but right now we need to get out of here before he wakes up."

He opened up the coat and unclasped a small pin from the man's shirt, handing it to me. I looked at the small pin in my hand, it looked like a crest from one of those castle flags. But this one didn't look like anything I had seen before, it was deep red and in the middle of it bloomed a flower. The flower was beautiful but when I looked closer I could see that on each petal a snake was slithering its way out from the centre of the flower. As I held it in my hand, I felt a flash of recognition. The same wave of energy as I had felt in that hotel rushed through me, I could feel his arm as he pushed me up against the wall. "Don't think you can run away from me, Vortex," his words echoed through my mind and I knew that the grey haired man in front of me and that Aaron guy must be connected.

I saw the pin drop to the ground as my eyes welled up with tears. Taylor came closer and gently held his arm around my shoulders.

"Do you recognise it?" he asked softly.

I nodded my head and heard myself say, "This guy... Aaron?"

I instantly felt Taylor stiffen next to me.

"We have to go now. We need to hide," he pushed me forward, urging me to start walking. I walked next to him as we headed down the alleyway.

"Is there anywhere close by where we can hide?"

A minute passed before I grasped what he was asking me. I had been so preoccupied with my own emotions, I could still feel the burning in my palm from where the little pin had been resting a moment ago.

"I guess so, I mean my flat is close by," I said dumbly, not even considering if it was safe to show him where I lived.

"How about we run there?" Taylor suggested and grabbed my hand. I felt his fingers clasp around mine as we started running down the dark streets.

My hand grabbed tightly around Taylor as we rushed forwards, the warm shine of the street lights created small dots of brightness in the drab night. Rain had started to spit down from the sky and I felt a layer of moisture across my face as we rushed towards my flat. My feet slowed down to a job as we approached the corner of my street. Taylor shot me a look as he adjusted his pace to mine.

"It's around the corner," I started.

"Okay?" he asked, a slightly confused look played on his face.

The memory of how I had carefully looked around this corner, scanning my street to judge that it was safe this morning rushed through me. Nothing threatening had been waiting for me then, but the events that had happened since clearly told me that there was more to what happened this morning in the hotel than what I would have liked to believe.

"What if someone is waiting for us?" I breathed and pulled us both closer to the wall of the house on the corner.

"Let me check," Taylor let go of my hand and peered around the corner. I had to stop myself from instinctively pulling him back. A thousand needles of ice danced up my back. What if something worse was waiting for us outside of my flat?

Taylor turned back to me, "All looks clear. Which house number?"

"Thirteen," I pushed out. He furrowed his brow for a second and then grabbed a hold of my hand again.

"Let's run," he commanded and in an instant we were both bolting down towards my door. I could feel the wave of energy carrying my legs, it was something more than just adrenalin and fear.

My breath was jagged as I pulled the keys out of my pocket and practically shoved them into the front door. I pulled Taylor inside and threw one last glance out at the quiet street before shutting and double locking the door.

"Do you really think that would help?" Taylor said as he looked at me.

"What?" I looked up at him stunned.

A small glow of purple energy rolled up from his palm as he spoke, "We need to seal the door."

"I have neighbours," I hissed and pointed down the hallway at their front door.

Taylor mumbled a couple of words underneath his breath and let the small glimmers of energy flow from his hand. They crept slowly in the air, before settling in the crack between the floor and the edge of the door. Hovering there for a moment, before tracing its way along the door frame and coating the door in a glowing purple sheen before fading away. I could still sense the energy along the door but the purple sheen was gone.

"Come on," Taylor broke my fixation on the energy barricading us in.

He grabbed my upper arm gently, "Which way is your flat?"

"Upstairs," I answered not tearing my eyes away from the door. He turned and started walking up the narrow staircase.

I followed behind him and whispered out the most pressing question I could think of, "What if my neighbours try to come or go?"

Taylor stopped at my front door, "That's fine. Could you please unlock this door?"

I pushed in the key and stared at him as I turned the handle, letting him in.

"What do you mean?"

"If they are human, it won't affect them. The spell only works on warlocks," he explained casually as he pulled out his hand, again small waves of purple energy was waiting in it.

I locked the door and stepped back, looking at him as he repeated the process.

"Warlocks? Spell?" My hands started to shake, as a wave of shock passed through my body. I knew there wasn't any other way to explain everything I had seen today, but it was still unbelievable. Maybe I was trapped in an extraordinarily sick dream and I would soon wake up to Matthew shouting at me to not sleep the day away?

"Hey, you should get some rest," Taylor responded.

"Rest? I should rest?" my voice was raising up to hysterics now, "Some lunatic is chasing me. I barely know you. You have put a s-s-spell on my flat and I should... should rest?"

I couldn't bring myself to say warlock, lunatic seemed as a good of a word for what he must be. That's when my brain suddenly added up two and two, if that grey haired man was a warlock that would mean that Taylor was one too.

I backed away from him, as my fists clenched.

He shot me a sad look, "I won't hurt you Cara."

"How do I know that?" I felt fear push up in my throat.

"I came after you, to save you. I could sense that something was happening. But instead of just leaving you to it. I came to check on you. Do you think that you would have survived without me?"

The factual tone in his voice seemed to calm me down, I felt myself calm down somewhat and my hands started to relax. I knew I couldn't make sense of it all right now, but what he said made sense. He had only helped me so far.

"My room's this way," I said and walked off.

I sat down on my bed and stared at him as he awkwardly lifted up a pile of clothes from my tiny arm chair and folded his tall frame into a sitting position.

"What do we do now?" I stared at him, expecting him to come with some kind of elaborate plan for how to get me out of this situation.

"Now you get some rest. I need to stay up anyway so I'll wake you if anything happens."

"What do you mean you need to stay up?" I narrowed my eyes slightly as I examined him.

"The spell I cast, it'll only be active as long as I'm awake."

I nodded and didn't question him about it further. I curled up on the bed, my legs felt so tired. I stared at him for a second before I felt my eyelids slowly closing down on me.

I heard the faint sounds of footsteps, I felt myself drift back from the darkness and into a frozen fear. My eyes opened and to my horror I realised two things – it was morning, I must have slept through the night and from what I could see I was not the only one who had. Taylor was asleep, his head tilted backwards and mouth wide open. I heard the footsteps as they approach the front door and I could distinctly hear the door open. I stared at Taylor sleeping face in horror as I remembered what he had said before I had fallen asleep. The spell that was going to protect us would only work if he was awake. The footsteps became louder as the approached this side of the flat. My hand reached for the first thing I could find, my fingers clasping around a pen on my nightstand. I threw it as soundlessly as I could and hit Taylor squarely in the jaw. His eyes opened and he blinked a couple of times. I waved at him from where I was curled up on the bed. He was about to speak when I help a finger up to my mouth and pointed with the other one to the door of my room. Taylor's eyes widened as he heard the footsteps that was clearly moving towards us.

He got up from the armchair so quickly, that I barely saw him move. His hand was gripping the door handle and I felt myself move towards him. He threw open the door and lunged himself out with his palm raised.

Song: James Blake - Retrograde