Ryder opened her eyes and whimpered. Her gaze flitted from thing to thing as she took in the bare cell she was lying in. Someone had placed a table and chair in the room with a pitcher of fresh water and bread. She was lying on a comfortable mattress on the clean swept floor.

Looking up, she saw a field of shimmering magic across the empty doorway of her cell.

“You can’t cross it, and you can’t use magic while you’re in there.” Donnovan stood on the other side of the net. He walked to the door. “It’s designed to keep you in. That was what you wanted.”

Ryder nodded and continued to stare at him in silence. She knew what her actions meant for her sister. But she had to do something. “Donnovan, this is going to mean bad things.” She cleared her throat. “Cass…” She paused, unable to finish.

Donnovan moved closer. “What about Cassie?” His lips tightened, and his eyes burned into her.

“He’s going to speed up her death…” Ryder whispered.

Donnovan shook his head. “I doubt it.”

“Why not?” She looked down at the floor. “I defied him.”

“Because there’s no magic in there. He can’t use it, and neither can you. So he can’t do anything to change his spell while you’re in there.” Donnovan smiled. “I didn’t want to do it, Ry. But it’s better this way.”

Ryder nodded. “I’d do anything to keep you all safe. Even if it means my own death.”

“You won’t die. I’ll find a way to get rid of him, and you’ll go back to normal. I promise.” Donnovan pressed his hand against the magic curtain. “You just have to hold on and keep believing in us.”

Ryder nodded. “I believe in us, Donnovan. I never stopped believing.” She laid her hand against the magic barrier. She pulled away as soon as she did because a numbing cold pervaded her body. Ryder shuddered and stepped away.

“If you try to break through, it’ll freeze your body inside a magic barrier like this one so that you can’t use magic or go anywhere. It’ll keep you like that until someone comes to put you back in the cell. It also alerts us that you broke out.” Donnovan hung his head. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m trying to imprison you, Ry.”

“You are, but it’s not because me. It’s because of him. None of this is your fault.” Ryder mustered a weak smile. “I love you, Nova, and I know you’ll find a way to end this.”

Donnovan sighed and shook his head. “I’m glad you’re reassured about this. But I’m afraid that I may not be able to do anything beyond this, Ry. If what your father told me is true, you’re the only one who can overcome him and force him out.”

“What happens to him if I do that?” Ryder whispered.

“I don’t know. All the books on the subject are long lost, so far as we know, anyway.” Donnovan shrugged. “I may have a few sources who could help me find more information, though. I’ll do whatever I can.”

Ryder nodded. “I know you will. Now go do that. I’ll work on trying to rid myself of this beast while you’re gone.”

Donnovan’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“You need to. Go on.” Ryder smiled at him, but he took one look at her eyes and knew how much she was hurting.

“I’ll be back.” He murmured.

“I’m counting on it.”

Smoky shadows danced about the edges of the room and gathered until they surrounded Donnovan. She held his gaze as his eyes danced with the same grey and black shadow flames as the mist surrounding him. He closed his eyes and with a billowing puff of shadowy mist, he disappeared.

The shadows and mist immediately dissipated, and Ryder slumped down onto the floor of her cell. Life seemed determined to take away every ray of hope and every speck of happiness she had left. Here she was in a cell with the person she hated most right now, and she didn’t even know if she would ever be free again. Life was indeed cruel.

***

Donnovan materialized in the hallway outside of Andrew’s living quarters. He knocked on the closed door, and waited for someone to answer.

Andrew’s wife, Allayra, opened it with a smile. “Donnovan. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. It’s been far too long.” She opened her arms to hug him.

Donnovan laughed and embraced her for a brief moment. “Yes, yes, it has.” He smiled.

Allayra had been a second mother to him when his own disappeared, and even before that, she’d always had a motherly touch with him. Whenever he came to hang out with Ryder, she had a batch of cookies that she’d baked in the Base’s kitchens waiting for them. He remembered how she’d fuss over him like he was one of her own.

It had been a welcome relief when his mother vanished. Allayra had stepped in and did her best to soothe his aching heart. She hadn’t succeeded completely, but she had diminished the hole that was widening in his heart. And she had made all the difference with Ansgar. Donnovan wished he could say that he would’ve been fine raising his eleven year old brother alone, but he knew it wasn’t true. A twelve-year-old could never provide a good parent for anyone, let alone for a brother only a year younger.

“Come on in, then… Were you looking for Andrew?” Allayra ushered him into their apartments.

As Donnovan gazed around the room, memories from his childhood rose from every corner of the room. The mattress where he’d slept was gone now, but a few of his childhood projects were still proudly displayed on the shelves beside pictures of him, Cassie, Ryder, and Ansgar. The little blue statue on the table reminded him of the many nights that he and his brother would sit at the table with the Parsi family, listening to Andrew tell stories or read to them.

The rocking chair in the corner reminded him of many afternoons when he would sit on the floor playing a board game or putting together a puzzle while Allayra taught Cassie to knit, and Ryder read her book.

“Are you all right?” Allayra touched his shoulder with a sympathetic smile. “I know it’s hard on you right now, Donnovan. But it will get better. I promise.”

Donnovan cleared his throat. He realized that he had started to cry as he thought about all the happy memories this place evoked in contrast to the dark ones of the past weeks. He wiped away the tears quickly, embarrassed that Allayra had seen him crying. “Sorry…”

“It’s okay to cry sometimes.” Allayra sat down at the table and motioned for him to sit across from her.

He slid into the chair and ran his fingers through his hair.

Allayra reached out and took his hands in hers. “Donnovan, I know you’re worried about Ryder. I also know how much you love her. That love is strong enough to bear this. I know you will get through this, and so will my daughter.”

Donnovan shook his head. “She believes that too. That’s what she told me when I left today.” He looked away and bit his lip.

“What is it? Something more seems to be troubling you.” She leaned forward. “Can I do anything at all to help?”

He sighed. “I locked her up in a magic-free cell.” He grimaced as he said the words. They didn’t sound good at all. “I didn’t want to, but she begged me to do it for everyone’s safety.”

“You did what you felt had to be done. I’m sure that my daughter knows you would never lock her up if you could think of other alternatives. And you’re working to find a way to free her from this malediction, correct?” Allayra squeezed his hands and held his gaze with her amber eyes.

Donnovan nodded. “Of course. I’ll do anything I can to free her.”

“Then don’t feel bad. She’s not in any danger right now, and she has everything she needs. Ansgar will make certain she’s well fed and cared for.”

The door opened again, and Andrew walked in. He took one look at Donnovan and sighed. “Good, you’re back. Any news?”

“Yes, sir… I…” Donnovan stopped, not wanting to continue. But he had to forge ahead. “I locked her into a magic-free cell.” He blurted out.

Andrew nodded heavily and sat down. “Why doesn’t that surprise me? Let me guess, it was my daughter’s idea?”

Donnovan shrugged and looked away. “Well, I wouldn’t have locked her up if she hadn’t.”

“I hate to say it, but I think it’s for the best. She’ll be safe there I think, and this other being won’t be able to hurt anyone with magic. Without magic, he’s only able to injure physically. And I’m sure you made certain that no matter what they did, Ryder can’t get out of that cell.” Andrew drummed his fingers on the table top. “It gives us time to find a way to free her.”

Donnovan twisted the chain of his necklace and then released it, watching it spin. The talisman made him feel calmer somehow. It wasn’t much, but at least it was something, and he needed that right now. “I have a few ideas on who to ask. Not everyone has forgotten about possession.”

Andrew looked up. “What?”

“I know someone who did. He never told me how to do it. He said it was an evil that should never be spread. But he knows everything there is left to know.” Donnovan bit his lip.

“Why didn’t you consult him before?”

“Because he’s a traitor to my people and to me.” Donnovan spat.

“There’s a lot of history between you…” Allayra murmured. “Who is this traitor? He is more to you than just a traitor.”

“He was once a friend. I looked up to him, respected him. Even loved him a great deal.” Donnovan whispered.

“Yes, but who is he?” Andrew pressed. “Donnovan, if he can help us, we need to know why you wouldn’t consult him before.”

“He’s my father.” Donnovan looked down at the table and closed his eyes. “He’s my father, okay?”