chapter FIFTY-FIVE
“Did you really think one little gunshot wound would kill me, Samuel? I was going to make your death fast and painless, but now I will enjoy making it slow and watching you suffer.” He turned to Elizabeth and Jonah. “I am pleased to see your reactions. You make me very happy with your loyalty. Have some fun with Samuel. Do what you please with him, but leave him alive. I want to kill him myself.”
I watched the gun leave Samuel’s grasp and float through the air to Clavius. Telekinesis. Samuel had mentioned that some stregas had that power, but it was still unsettling to see in person.
“And you, Vittorio, you are proving to be stronger than I ever thought. I wanted to enjoy your slow, painful death, but it is clear to me I would be smart to end your life quickly, so you will no longer remain a threat to me. Then, I will have my way with your love, and take her power as my own.”
I aimed the full force of my power at Clavius, dreadfully aware it would not be enough.
He laughed. “Oh, my little angel, you have heart, but you will never be able to win. Perhaps once you would have been a fair match, but now, no one will be able to defeat me. Watch, now, as I kill your love.”
I felt Clavius’ power gain strength, saw its icy blue color as he aimed it at Vittorio. The bleed-off caused me great pain, as well. I could only imagine how badly Vittorio suffered. I screamed in protest, helpless.
Without warning, the blast of power stopped. Vittorio was curled in a ball on the ground. “What happened?”
Vittorio shook his head to indicate he didn’t know.
Samuel stood behind Clavius, who was now on his knees.
I went to see what happened, scared I would feel another painful blast of power at any moment.
When I reached Clavius, I saw that Samuel had stabbed him in the back, through the map. A wound such as that shouldn’t have been as damaging as it appeared to be. He writhed in pain.
I looked at Clavius and realized that he was, in fact dying. His face contorted in pain, and he was screaming incoherently. I caught two words - it burns. I wondered if the map acted as a type of poison in his system.
When he stopped moving, I wanted to be sure he was truly dead this time. I checked his neck for a pulse, and felt nothing. Then, his body twitched. I tore the map out from under him and stabbed him in the heart through it with the knife Samuel had given Vittorio. No more twitching.
I had never killed anyone before. I concentrated on my breathing, and tried to push the shock to the back of my mind. Now was not the time for a breakdown. There were still other things to worry about.
As if to illustrate that point, my body was stabbed by a thousand knives. The full force of Elizabeth’s power struck me, giving me no time to react and put my shields in place. I screamed. Where was Vittorio? Why wasn’t he helping me?
The pain stopped. I slammed my shields in place tighter than ever. I looked to Elizabeth, and found her in a power struggle with Samuel. That left Jonah free to focus on me. I thrust electricity into his body before he could act, moving closer to him as I did. When I was close enough, and he was on his knees on the ground, I put the amulet around his neck. I did not stop the flow of my power. I had to find some way to restrain him. Where were those ropes when I needed them?
I forced his hands behind his back, focusing my power on him the entire time so he wouldn’t fight back. The rope that had bound me and Vittorio was too short since we’d cut through it. Thankfully, I found a roll of duct tape sitting on top of a toolbox in the corner, and bound Jonah’s hands and feet, then found the straps they had used to keep us in the chairs. Hoping Jonah was secure enough, I took the duct tape with me, hoping for the opportunity to restrain Elizabeth and Samuel.
Samuel was winning their fight. Elizabeth was on the ground, rocking back and forth, muttering, “No, no, no,” over and over again. I didn’t want to imagine what horrible images Samuel projected into her mind to make her shake like she was. I saw the amulet that had been around Vittorio’s neck on the ground next to him. I also saw that Vittorio was not moving. I had to make sure we were safe before I could help him, so I grabbed the amulet. Samuel’s attention was focused on Elizabeth, so I snuck up behind him, draped the amulet around his neck, and forced his hands behind his back before he could react. He was much stronger than me, and my power did not faze him like it had Jonah. I couldn’t let him break free and remove the amulet. I had to go for a low blow. I reached my leg between his and kneed him in the groin. He fell to his knees, giving me the opportunity to bind his hands.
I still needed to restrain his feet, and he was able to get away from me before I could. He got to his feet and kicked me. Fortunately, it sent him off balance and he fell again. I kicked him in the side, and much as I hated it, the head. I never was a fighter, but my life was on the line. The kick to the head dazed him enough for me to tie his feet together. I was as safe as I was going to get from him.
I didn’t know what to do about Elizabeth. There were no more amulets, no way to restrain her power. I looked to her, still rocking back and forth on the ground, knees pulled to her chest. It appeared as if Samuel had done significant damage to her mind. I would have to settle for tying her up, and hope it was enough.
When I was finally satisfied our enemies were restrained, I ran to Vittorio, who still was not moving. I did not see his chest rise with breath. I felt for a pulse, finding nothing.