Chapter Seventeen
Some of the people who were stood behind Gregory and the old woman cringed from the sight of her. Reid and the others walked out of the sitting room. They saw a dozen people stood behind Rowena. Her grip on Gregory's arm never loosened. From their position the Sons could see the Georgina stood just outside the doorway. Her face was fierce as she stared Rowena down.
"She has powers?" Tyler whispered, shock lacing his voice.
Reid didn't even acknowledge the comment. Instead he took her in. She looked more rested than the last time he saw her, but the black veins that were slithering there way up her chest and neck stole his attention.
"What the hell are those black lines?" Pogue whispered to Caleb.
Georgina stayed where she was. She didn't care that all these people where scared of her, or willing to hurt her. Or the fact that out of the corner of her eye she saw the four Son's walk into the room and where staring at her like a zoo animal. She needed to get to Eleanor.
The old lady just stared back at her. White-eyes against black. Georgina stepped forward. A flare of electricity blinded everyone watching. Uncovering her eyes, Georgina looked up to see Rowena's smirking face. Holding up her hand, she pushed it forward. It instantly came in contact with a barrier. Static shock passed through her arm.
"Like I said," the old lady smirked, "You kind aren't welcome here."
Running a hand over the shield she felt the power humming. It was like her shields. She guessed that it ran over the entire house. Looking at the people stood behind the old lady, she saw a few of them with black eyes. It was a combined power shield.
Raising both hands, Georgina placed them on the vibrating invisible shield. Ignoring the shocks, she pushed her power into it.
"What are you doing?"
Georgina looked up and watched everyone inside. The whole house was shaking. People were struggling to stay standing, screams and yells came from the group of people behind Rowena, who was being held up by Gregory.
"Stop it!" someone yelled from the back.
But Georgina kept it up. Her eyes locked in eye contact with a well-dressed man in the back. People around him kept him up. And while she couldn't pass the shield, she could shake the very foundations until the ones holding the shield up broke concentration. A frown broke over the man's face. A second later, he broke eye contact and fell to the ground.
Georgina's hand pushed through the air. The barrier had gone. Pulling back her power she stopped the house from moving and stepped into the house. Nearly everyone was on the floor or holding onto furniture.
"Stop her, Henry," Rowena shouted.
The man, Henry, who held the shield, struggled to stand. Georgina walked towards the staircase. Halfway there, another flash of electric blue lit up the room. Turning, she saw confusion in the Henry's face.
"Henry, what are you doing-" Rowena exclaimed.
She stood up and tried to get close to Georgina. Except she walked straight into a shield herself. She held up her hands and felt the power stopping her from moving. The ones that were standing behind her tried it to. They were trapped.
After the ground stopped moving, Reid and the others help Evelyn, Rose and Daphne up. They watched at Georgina stood in the middle of the room, watching Rowena as she pushed against the shield.
Daphne held up hers hands. Only they stopped short by the shield. It must have split this entire room into two. Creating a small pathway to the stairs. Like parting the red sea.
"Where is she?"
Reid looked up at Georgina. The marks on her skin were getting worse and he could see her body shaking. Whatever was going on with her wasn't good.
"Go to hell," someone said from the Council.
Georgina ignored the comment and looked straight at Gregory. Her seizures were starting up again. Using her power and started the release process up. Not having much time, she needed to make she was going straight to Eleanor. She couldn't hold it back long enough to take a wrong guess.
"She's not here," another person said.
Georgina stepped forward, in front of Gregory and fixed him with an intense stare.
"She will die," Georgina said in a dark voice. "If you don't tell me where she is."
She saw the struggle in his eyes. Rowena herself came up to his side and grabbed his arm with her bony fingers.
"Don't you dare tell this monster where she is," she growled, and then turned to the others behind her. "She can't hold up this shield for long. Not if you all use your power."
Georgina saw a few apprehensive looks, and some eager ones. When the first shots hit the shield, she winced from the contact.
"You see, she flinches," Rowena smirked.
This managed to convince the others. Blue's lights lit up the space and Georgina struggled against the on sought.
"Gregory," Georgina pleaded softly. "Please. Only I can help her now. Come with me."
The others didn't hear what she said over the noise of the bolts hitting the shield. But Gregory did. With a small nod, he stepped through the shield.
"Gregory," Rowena shouted.
"She's in her room," he said firmly to her.
Georgina nodded and led the way. Gregory followed, but not before seeing the look of betrayal on his wife's face.
When they both reached the corridor, the noise of the attack on the shield continued on.
"How long before they break through?" Gregory asked.
"Not long," Georgina stuttered, her body shaking with the seizures.
"Do we help them?" Caleb asked, watching the other side attack the shield.
"Stay out of it," Evelyn exclaimed with a manic look in her eyes. "Were safe from her here."
"She's just a girl," Rose Simms frowned. "Why is everyone behaving like this?"
"You don't know her family," snapped Daphne. She was staring at the staircase.
Tyler went to his mother.
"Who's her family?" Caleb asked.
No one answered right away. Daphne's tear rimmed eyes turned and looked at all the Sons.
"She's a Pendle," she spat, and then added more for herself. "How could he do this to us."
The Son's looked at each other and shrugged. Not understanding the implications.
"It's down," someone shouted.
Reid looked and saw the council moving up the stairs. Without thinking, he ran after them.
"Reid, no," his mother shouted after him. But he was lost in the crowd.
Hearing the footstep thunder up the stairs, Gregory looked with wide eyes at the corridor entrance. He couldn't see anyone. Yet.
"Hey," Gregory frowned as Georgina struggled to stand. "Are you okay?"
"No," she whispered. "But I just need to get to her."
When she stopped moving, merely feet away from the bedroom door, Gregory picked her up. He was holding her when the crowd, led by Rowena, entered the corridor. They stopped when they saw them.
"Gregory," she said breathless. "I don't know what spell she's got you under, but if you give her up you will be forgiven."
"Can you put another shield up?" he whispered down at a shivering Georgina. He could see the black veins growing onto her face.
Georgina looked at the crowded and lifted her hands. They too were nearly covered with black lines. She released a shockwave. The blue electric line traveled down the hallway and stopped halfway. The crowd moved forward, shooting the shield with more orbs.
"It's coming," she whispered frantically.
"What is-"
"Get me to her. Now."
Gregory ran the rest of the way to the door. Georgina saw the closed door. She only meant to open it, but with her powers about to explode it ended up blowing half the wall away. Gregory hesitated at the missing wall, but when she started to convulse in his arms he plunged into the dust and debris covered room.
"Put me down next to her."
Gregory lowered her feet and she managed to stand for half a second, before she collapsed on to her knees next to the bed. He moved to help.
"Step back," she shouted, as she grabbed Eleanor's hands. "Put up a shield around us. I don't want to hurt anyone else."
Instead of asking the dozen questions running through his mind, he moved away slightly. Stood a few feet from the bed, he raised his hands. His eyes blacked over. Like Georgina's, a blue electric shield raised around the bed.
They managed to get through the newest shield easily.
"Come on," Rowena shouted. They ran down the corridor. She faltered slightly when she saw the missing wall. But what she saw in the room froze her blood. As she entered, with the brave half who would follow, they saw Gregory pull up a shield around Eleanor and the girl. She was holding on to Eleanor's hand.
"Stop this-" Rowena shouted at Gregory, going to grab him again.
But the ground shook under their feet again. Reid was one of the few in the room.
"What's going on?" Pogue shouted over the noise of the house shaking. He had followed Reid.
They were kneeling on the bedroom floor looking at the bed. Eleanor's chest was raised in the air, her body shaking. Georgina's black eyes were fixed on her. Her face scrunched up. They watched, as she had to close her eyes and her body contorted from the pain. Eleanor's eyes open and she let out a blood-curdling scream. She gripped the bed sheets as her exposed chest began to bleed. Black smoke started to seep out of the cut marks on her skin. Her scream seemed to go on forever.
An explosion of thick black smoke erupted from her body. The force of it broke the shield and the quakes stopped. Reid looked up. The smoke had dissipated, and Gregory was on the floor next to him. Eleanor's still body was on the bed and Georgina kneeled unsteadily next to her.
"Get that devil out of this house."
Rowena had landed on some of the other council members. Her furious gaze locked on Georgina. But before anyone could move, a slowly clap started. Eyes turned to the opposite side of the room. A black shadow walked towards them. When he got closer, he became clearer. His features defined out. His eyes grew more sinister.
"That was impressive," the shadow smiled at Georgina.
Looking up from the still Eleanor, Georgina saw her uncle walk towards the bed.
"What are you going here, Nathaniel," she asked, trying to sound stronger than she actually felt in that moment.
"You don't call, you don't write," he said in mock concern. "What a concerned Uncle to do."
"Invade my head?" she suggested.
"Exactly. Except now you've gone and stopped that," he said softly. Though his voice was soft, menace echoed through his words.
"I need to make sure you wouldn't forget about us. I had to do something to get your attention," he added.
This corporeal body stood but a few feet away from the bed. Nathaniel looked over to the dumbstruck crowd.
"Though I would never have thought you would be here," he said looking at some of the people, then added with distain, "Hiding behind the skirts of the cowardly Ipswich colony. And I thought the woman in this family could sink no lower."
"The Ipswich line hold a great deal more than you will ever hope to comprehend, Nathaniel."
Georgina looked in surprise at the old lady with white eyes. She had managed to stand and was pointing a knarled finger at Nathaniel's corporeal shadow.
"Old Lady Danvers," Nathaniel smiled evilly. "I didn't even know you were still among the living. Though, looking at you, it won't be long now right?"
"Get out of this house," she warned.
"Not without taking back what is mine," he snarled, and turned back to Georgina.
"I belong to no one," Georgina hissed through gritted teeth. She pushed heavily on the bed and heaved herself up. Her body was almost spent. Muscles aching and her energy gone.
"It's getting harder now, right?" smirked Nathaniel. "Ascension draws near. You can feel it. The power getting stronger and harder to contain."
"Shut up," snapped Georgina. She walked unsteadily to the middle of the room, a few feet away from Nathaniel. "You should leave now. There is nothing here for you."
"That's where you are wrong. You should know by now that we won't give up that easily," he said.
"You will never have me."
He paused, his head tilted in thought.
"Tell you what. I will give you two weeks to come to me willingly."
"Or what," Georgina stated. Swaying slightly.
"Or I will burn this place to the ground," he snarled. His face, ugly and terrifying as she remembered as a child. "Making sure your precious godmother is inside."
Georgina stared at him. Not giving anything away. Like a switch, the crazed Nathaniel lost the murderous look.
"If it's the only way to get to you," he shrugged, as he stepped closer to her. A pure white translucent shield softly erupted from her.
She wasn't controlling the shield this time.
"The Protection of Innocence will not protect you forever," he whispered threateningly. With an evil smirk, he raised his hands.
Georgina froze. As soon as he touched the shield, his body exploded. Black smoke shot off everywhere.
Reid watched the smoke disappear for the second time. He saw Georgina clumsily stumble towards the foot of the bed. The white shield was gone. She sat down heavily and closed her eyes.
"Henry," Rowena gestured to Georgina. "Take her to the cellar."
He watched a well-dressed man, who had no qualms about the task; walk up to a compliant Georgina. He just grabbed her arm when a clear voice shouted out.
"Take you hands off her."
Everyone's eyes, except Georgina's, looked at Eleanor. She was sat up in bed, her eyes hard and her voice as clear as a bell. The top of her nightgown was undone. The mark that blemished her skin moments before had gone.