Her form slipped out of the shadow. Tendrils of her long white hair spread out in the air around her, like a wild halo. As she emerged, the force of her eyes seemed to grow, encompassing the entire room. The pressure enveloped us, pressing me into the floor.

Luc staggered and fell to his knees, leaning into the wall. "Who the hell are you?" he snapped.

"Matilda..." I croaked out, on my hands and knees now, fighting against the immense weight that was pressing on us, so it didn't crush us out right. Didn't he know her?

Luc seemed surprised. "I've never met her," he admitted through gritted teeth.

"Yes, we have not crossed paths directly," Matilda butted in. "But I don't think introductions are needed when I've heard so much about you, Luc."

Luc glared at the old woman.

There was a sudden commotion upstairs. The others must've sensed the change in the air, even up there. I heard the door slam open and hurried footsteps on the stairs.

Matilda exhaled through her nose. Her face remained calm. She wasn't worried.

Tory was the first one to appear through the door. His eyes went wide as he spotted Matilda floating there. He opened his mouth to speak but—

With a wave of her hand, the pressure changed, picking up Tory and throwing him from the room. He sailed back through the door, smashing into Ethan who was following right behind him. They landed in a heap at the foot of the stairs.

Polly didn't hesitate. She leapt over them and ran into the room. She first glanced at Luc, then me, before turning to meet her sister's old mentor, floating in front of her. "You—"

Matilda did not seem pleased to see her. Now that I looked for it, there was a small pink line stretched across the old woman's cheek. A healing scar from where Polly had smashed her in the face with the book.

She raised her gnarled hand, ready to throw Polly out of the way, like she had with Tory. Polly braced herself, crossing her arms in front of her. I winced, wishing I could move, push her out of the way, but there was no escaping Matilda's surprising power.

As it smashed into us, I was lifted off my knees and spun through the air, slamming against the far wall. Dropping hard to the floor, I began to cough as the wind was knocked out of me.

"Are... you... okay?" Luc asked. He was next to me. He was fortunately already pressed against the wall, so it was just pinning him there.

"M-Mostly," I wheezed, trying to straighten up. But the pressure kept me down.

I managed to raise my head, looking around for where Polly had landed. I was surprised to find her still standing, holding her own against the force of Matilda's blast.

Matilda's fingers shook as she struggled to budge Polly.

The wave of pressure intensified. Polly slid backwards, her red hair whipping around her face and clothes like she was facing off against a hurricane. She leaned into it, her crossed arms raised up against it. She growled with the effort. Then, with a furious cry, she threw her crossed arms open. As she did, the force was pushed away, thrown back against Matilda. The old woman faltered in the air as the echo hit her, but quickly caught herself.

"Well, that's curious," Matilda said, straightening up again. Her pearly eyes were studying Polly with interest.

Polly glared back at her, staying on the defence. "Fuck off, you old hag!"

"Such anger, Pollaine," the old woman replied, clicking her tongue. "I'm only here to help Rachel."

"We don't need—or want—your help," Polly shot back. "It was a mistake to get you involved in the first place. I should've known better."

Matilda shook her head. "You're lucky you did come to me. You have no idea what you're dealing with. But this is something I'm uniquely equipped to address."

"What, torturing Rachel to death?"

Matilda's lips stretched into a line. Polly seemed to be quickly wearing on her patience. "Sometimes pain is unavoidable to achieve a necessary goal."

"That's the issue," Polly said. "We both want to get rid of the spirit, but you will do so regardless of what happens to Rachel in the process."

"Sacrifices must be made to protect this world from evil. "

A chill ran through me. The crazy old bitch really was fine with me dying if it meant the spirit inside was destroyed, too. Every single one of my animal instincts begged me to make a run for it, but the weight of Matilda's power had me pinned to the ground.

Luc was beside me, fighting against the invisible restraints. Sweat dripped down his face from the effort. "We have to get you out of here..." he whispered.

The spirit inside me was agitated too. It didn't seem to be a fan of Matilda's approach, either.

Polly was still focussed on the old woman, his face twisted with disgust. "This is why Lillian didn't trust you."

Matilda cackled. "Trust me? She was the one who was not to be trusted. She betrayed us, broke our laws. And then when she involved herself with something she wasn't supposed to meddle with, she died for it. She was a fool."

Us? Who the hell was she talking about?

"She died because you fucks threw her out when she needed you most!" Polly screamed back.

"She abandoned us," Matilda hiss, her wrinkled face falling into a sneer. "We tried to help her, but she preferred the company of him." She shot a furious look at Luc. "And so, she could not be reasoned with."

I glanced at Luc. His eyes were closed tight, his brow knotted in some kind of pain.

I was completely confused. I hadn't heard anything about this—I knew about Luc's breakup with Lillian when he discovered she was messing with dark magic. But who were these people, and why did they hate Luc so much? Did they blame him for Lillian's descent into darkness?

"Learn your lesson from your sister's mistakes, Pollaine," Matilda continued. "You and your foolish friends cannot handle this on your own. Leave this work to us."

"Fuck you!" Polly snapped.

Matilda just sighed. "Well it is good fortune that it's not up to you," she said.

The shadow beneath her began to spread, seeping across the hardwood floor like a blot of ink. Then, rising out of the darkness, six people emerged, cloaked in silvery-blue silk with large hoods obscuring their faces. The shadow receded from them as soon as they stepped forward. Now we were outnumbered.

"Now, then," Matilda said. "We'll be taking Rachel. Step out of the way."

"Get. Fucked." Polly snarled.

Matilda shook her head.

In perfect unison, three of the new arrivals raised their hands and waved them through the air. This time Polly wasn't able to protect herself. She sailed across the room, slamming into the bookshelves against the far wall, collapsing on the floor. The contents of the shelves rained down on her.

I flinched, wanting to go to her side, but I was stuck.

"Come, Rachel. Don't listen to Polly. We're here to help you. Let us help you."

Hell no.

The restraints on me eased and I was able to push myself onto my knees again. I knew that this was no mistake. I didn't have much time before they did as they liked with me. I glanced around the room—

Then, beneath me, my own shadow began to darken, dissolving into an opaque black hole of nothingness. I started to sink into it, like the wood floor had given way and turned to quick sand.

"Rachel, no!" Polly, shaking from the impact, tried to scramble to her feet again but was caught by two of the cloaked people. They forced her to the ground, twisting her arms up.

I tried to slip free of the shadow's hold, but it was too late. My legs disappeared into the darkness, pulling me down. I clawed at the edge, trying to hold on, but my grip was slipping fast.

"Rachel!" Luc called. He held out his hand, reaching for me. "Take it!"

With the last of my strength, I reached for him, grabbing his wrist. He grabbed mine, too, and tried to pull me back, but it was no use. The shadow had hold of me now. It yanked me back into its maw.

Luc held fast, refusing to let go. As the shadow swallowed me up, I pulled him in with me. We both slid into darkness and disappeared.

🔮

What do you think Matilda has planned for Rachel?
What do you think she'll do anything to Luc?