Chapter 8

  THE ATTACK

  A few days passed in which Max was allowed to go to school and retrieve some belongings from his house, but he always had to return to the Grand Hall before nightfall. That afternoon, as the sun sank behind the mountains, Max and Gabriel drove back along the road. Although they tried to keep their conversation casual, the tension between them was unmistakable. Both knew that Gabriel’s time beside Max was limited, and every word felt like an effort to avoid the subjects that hurt the most.

  —Has Cristina found anything about your parents? —Gabriel asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

  Max tightened his grip on the steering wheel, a gesture that betrayed his frustration.

  —Not much. The last thing they found is that they went to a restaurant, but it’s strange… they didn’t have their phones or wallets with them. Then they just vanished. —His tone revealed his helplessness—. I feel useless, you know? Like I’m good for nothing.

  Gabriel looked at him with a mix of empathy and concern.

  —Don’t say that. You’re doing what you can, and I’m sure Cristina will find them. Focus on your studies for now. She won’t give up.

  Max nodded in silence, though his hands remained tense on the wheel. Suddenly, Gabriel straightened in his seat, alert.

  —Max, brake!

  Max reacted instantly, slamming his foot down. The tires screeched against the asphalt as the car came to a sudden stop.

  —What is it? —Max asked, alarmed.

  Gabriel pointed ahead, toward the entrance to the Grand Hall. A female figure moved around the entrance, her gestures disturbingly precise.

  —Is she… drawing something? —Max squinted, trying to make sense of it.

  —Runes —Gabriel replied, frowning—. I’m not sure what they mean, but she’s using blood. —Quickly, he grabbed Max’s phone—. Unlock it, fast.

  Max obeyed without question, and Gabriel began taking photos of the woman and the markings on the wall. Then he called Laura.

  —Hello? —Laura answered, her usual calm voice.

  —It’s Gabriel. Listen, tell Cristina there’s a woman carving blood runes at the tunnel entrance. We need help.

  The urgency in Gabriel’s tone erased Laura’s calm.

  —Understood. I’m on my way.

  Her hurried footsteps were heard, and soon Cristina’s voice came through the line.

  —Gabriel? —she asked seriously—. What color are the flowers near the tunnel?

  Confused, Gabriel looked around.

  —They’re red.

  Cristina cursed under her breath.

  —Tell Madame Liona there’s a Beco outside —she ordered, her voice tight with nerves. Then she addressed Gabriel again—. Listen to me carefully. You need to leave, right now. If there’s one, there are more. And if they find out you’re an angel, they’ll hunt you down and rip out your heart.

  Silence fell between them like a slab of stone. Gabriel took a deep breath before replying.

  —Understood, Cris… but will you be okay?

  —Of course, Gaby. Don’t worry about us. —She tried to sound confident, but insecurity slipped through—. Tell Max it’s a new girl and that I need some herbs. Leave quickly, and be very careful.

  The call ended. Gabriel, heart racing, turned to Max.

  —Cristina says there’s a new girl and she needs some herbs. Come on, we can’t stay here.

  Max eyed him suspiciously, noticing his unease.

  —Are you sure nothing’s wrong?

  —Yeah… —Gabriel murmured, trying to hide his concern.

  The car had barely started back toward the city when a reddish explosion tore the sky apart behind them. The blast shook them violently; Max lost control of the vehicle. The tires screamed, the car skidded, and it plunged blindly into the forest, crashing brutally into a tree.

  Gabriel opened his eyes with difficulty. A burning sensation in his eyelids forced him to blink, but the darkness around him refused to clear. His vision, blurred and fragmented, barely made out vague shapes among the shadows. A sharp ringing filled his ears, as if something invisible were tearing through the air. Instinctively, he raised a hand to his head, and a sticky warmth coated his fingers. Blood.

  He turned toward Max, who lay motionless in the driver’s seat, his face hidden beneath damp, dark strands of hair. The seat belt held him trapped, slumped to one side, a thin line of blood trickling from his temple. Gabriel fought back the panic rising in his chest and, trembling, tried to unbuckle himself. The mechanism resisted, as if the shadows themselves wanted to keep him there.

  Then he heard it. Beyond the shattered windshield, the forest whispered. Not words—something lower, harsher, like branches breaking under the weight of something that should not exist. The others were close. He knew it. That icy premonition crawled up his spine like a starving reptile.

  With an effort that drained every fiber of his being, he opened the passenger door. The metallic creak betrayed his presence. Staggering, he stepped into the cold, damp night air, the grass beneath his feet clinging like invisible hands. He reached the driver’s door and yanked the handle desperately. Something moved in the undergrowth—a tall, twisted figure barely visible between the trees. Its eyes flashed for an instant, an unnatural gleam that cut through him like a blade.

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  —Max —he whispered between gasps, struggling to free him. The seat belt was still jammed, and with every passing second, the forest’s whisper turned into a chorus of inhuman murmurs. The certainty that they were no longer alone wrapped around him like a second skin.

  Then, behind him, a crack. Not of branches—but of bones. Gabriel froze. She was there.

  —Blood… —a female whisper echoed from the shadows, chilling him to the core.

  —Damn it! —he snarled, wrenching the belt free at last. As he tried to pull Max out, a presence made him stop cold.

  —You smell… different —said a firm, mocking voice behind him.

  Gabriel turned slowly, every movement weighed down by something unseen, as if he were being forced to face what he knew he should not see. His eyes, still clouded by dizziness and terror, struggled to focus on the figure standing before him.

  —Stay away from us! —he shouted, trying to sound intimidating.

  It was a woman—or at least, something that once had been. Her skin was an unnatural white, pale as a dead moon, but its surface was split by small black cracks that slithered like malignant roots. Her sunken eyes, ringed by deep shadows, watched him with a macabre intensity, filled with a void that seemed to devour everything it touched. There was no life in them—only a cruel reflection, as if she reveled in the anguish boiling inside him.

  Her long, tangled hair fell in damp, dark strands that merged with the forest’s shadows, almost as if they were part of them. It seemed to move on its own, rippling in an air that did not blow. When she opened her mouth, she revealed uneven, needle-sharp teeth, and a breath that corroded the air itself, leaving behind a metallic, putrid stench.

  She did not move, yet something within her vibrated with malignant energy, making Gabriel’s skin prickle as if every nerve were being dragged toward an invisible abyss. A whisper crawled from her throat, broken and guttural, like a river flowing backward.

  —Sabine will be happy with new toys. —The woman stretched into a sinister smile as her body began to levitate slowly.

  Gabriel stepped back, but his foot caught on something, making him stumble. She tilted her head in an unnatural way, like a curious crow eyeing its prey, and glided toward him. Her movements were erratic, fragmented, as if her body no longer obeyed natural laws, yet each motion carried a deeper cold that seeped into his bones.

  The creature lunged—but just as she was about to reach him, a blinding golden light burst between them, hurling her against a tree. Before Gabriel, a silver scythe appeared, glowing faintly with golden hues, suspended in the air as if waiting to be claimed.

  —Cursed boy… —the woman snarled as she rose, fury twisting her features—. An angel.

  From her palms emerged swords formed of flesh and bone. Her smile widened.

  —Let’s play.

  Cornered by the abyss of his fear, Gabriel wrapped his trembling fingers around the scythe’s handle. The weapon vibrated with an energy not his own, a soft glow cutting through the darkness like a beacon in a storm. He had no choice. If he wanted to protect Max, he had to face the horror before him.

  The battle was fierce and chaotic, like a fever dream turned nightmare. The woman moved with unnatural speed, her limbs bending in impossible ways as she attacked with a brutality that defied logic. Each time Gabriel swung the scythe, its blade struck her spectral form with a metallic clang, as if cutting through something beyond flesh. Golden sparks briefly lit the forest, revealing flashes of warped faces and figures sliding between the trees, watching in silence.

  Gabriel growled, his body fighting pain and exhaustion. His movements were clumsy and desperate compared to hers, but his determination burned like an unquenchable fire. Each blow that landed was answered with a piercing shriek that echoed through the air, yet she did not yield. Her empty eyes remained locked on him, filled with bottomless fury.

  At last, in a final act of desperation, Gabriel raised the scythe with both hands and screamed until his throat tore. He brought it down with all his strength, and the blade shone as if the very sky had shattered in that instant. The edge sliced through the creature’s neck; her head struck the ground with a dull thud. An inhuman scream—shrill and venomous—ripped through the forest before her body collapsed, motionless.

  The silence that followed was deafening. Gabriel stood there, gasping, the scythe still in his hands. Then the weapon, as if its greater purpose had been fulfilled, began to dissolve in a burst of light, leaving behind an icy void. His strength drained away, and he fell to his knees beside the corpse.

  Hot tears streamed down his face as he stared at what he had done. He had won. But there was no relief—no sense of victory. The air around him remained heavy with corruption, as if the forest itself were watching his breaking point. He leaned forward, pressing his hands into the damp earth, his breath shattered by sobs.

  The battle was over—but something inside him had broken. Something he would never recover.

  —Gabriel? —Max’s weak voice pulled him back.

  Gabriel rushed to the car and helped him out, careful to keep him from seeing the nearby corpse.

  —What happened? —Max asked, still dazed.

  —We crashed… but we’re alive —Gabriel replied, his voice tight, traces of tears still visible.

  —You’re bleeding —Max said worriedly, examining him.

  —I’m fine. But we need to leave, now.

  Confused, Max glanced aside and caught a glimpse of the headless body on the ground.

  —It’s…

  —Don’t look. —Gabriel cupped his face with both hands, forcing him to meet his eyes—. Don’t. We’re alive, Max, and that’s all that matters. We have to go. More will come.

  Without questioning, Max obeyed, following Gabriel through the forest. They pushed through branches and undergrowth until they reached the road. From there, they saw that the tunnel entrance had been completely destroyed by a recent explosion. Desperate, Max ran toward the rubble, searching for Laura.

  Through the thick mist and shattered stone, he spotted several injured women. From the darkness of the tunnel emerged Laura, transformed, her imposing form carrying Cristina in her arms—one of her legs badly wounded. Behind them came Melody and Madame Liona, exhausted but resolute.

  —You should’ve left, damn it! —Melody snapped, clearly shaken—. This way, quickly. —She pointed to a barely visible path hidden by vegetation.

  —I’m glad you’re alive —Madame Liona said sternly as she guided them toward shelter.

  Max and Gabriel exchanged anguished looks at the group’s condition. After several minutes of hurried walking, they reached a small cabin hidden among the trees. Laura kicked the door open, set Cristina down on a chair, and slowly began to revert her transformation. Bones creaked in the silence, and, exhausted, she collapsed onto the floor to catch her breath.

  —Are you okay? —Max asked, kneeling beside her.

  —Yes… yes, I’m fine —Laura replied between ragged breaths, though her face betrayed her nerves.

  —Where’s Tory? —Gabriel asked Melody, his heart in his throat.

  She shook her head, avoiding his gaze. Pain and fury marked her expression.

  —She didn’t make it —she said at last, her voice breaking—. Those cursed witches! I’m going to burn every last one of them. —Her fists clenched with restrained rage.

  —I don’t understand how their magic broke through our protections… —Cristina murmured, still dazed, more to herself than anyone else.

  —I don’t think they followed us. Rest. In the morning, we’ll look for help in the city —Madame Liona said, positioning herself by the window to keep watch.

  The cabin filled with a heavy silence, thick with grief and despair. Though they tried to rest, fear and tension kept them awake.

  Worried about Melody, Max approached her. Usually sarcastic and talkative, she now sat lost in a crushing silence.

  —How are you? —he asked softly, sitting beside her.

  —How do you think I am? —Melody replied coldly—. I saw it… I saw one of those damned bitches drive her sword through her body. —Her glassy eyes betrayed the pain she tried to hide—. I couldn’t save her, Max. My magic failed… I failed. —She stared at the floor, fighting back tears.

  —Melody… I don’t know what it was like in there, but from what I saw outside, it was chaos. You did what you could. You tried… —Max wrapped her in a tight embrace, and in that moment, Melody broke.

  —Tory was right —she murmured through sobs, letting out a bitter little laugh—. You’re a good kid. Like always, she was the brains, and I was… the muscle.

  They held each other as the weight of loss settled over them. Slowly, exhaustion claimed them both, and they fell asleep, cradled by grief. Hope felt more distant than ever, and fear of an uncertain future wrapped around them like a shadow.