Two Halves Series by Marta Szemik Page A

opened her eyes.
    Eric’s shoulders slumped, and flashing a crooked grin, he knelt beside my sister again. “You all right, sugar?”
    She smiled, then looked at me, the corners of her mouth drooping. “Xela’s in trouble,” she whispered.
    The pull I felt earlier returned, hauling me like a cruise ship tied to a tugboat. I no longer wanted to be in Spain; I wanted to help Xela. My hands faded from flesh to nothingness and I didn’t care to protest. The need to rescue my witch overrode any rational thoughts and I let Aseret’s summons carry me to the underworld.
    “Xander, don’t. Not this way.” my sister cautioned, knowing I’d given up my will.
    My vision of the waterfall shuddered as it slowly dissipated and was replaced by an apparition of a cave in the underworld. I looked down at my legs; they became ghostly and transparent. The room fogged and I saw my sister and Eric behind a blur.
    Eric’s narrowed eyes darted between Mira and me. I assumed he waited to see whether my sister would pass out again so he could stop me from leaving. The spikes on his neck trembled as his eyes shifted to purple.
    The tug in my stomach eased. I looked to my sister. “What is he doing?”
    “He’s bending.” Mira’s voice held pride. She sat upright.
    “Let me go. I need to help her.” My dissipating fingers solidified.
    “I’m trying to shift your aura. It’s drawing underworld creatures. You’ve been with Xela too long. She’s connected to you. Aseret can sense you,” Eric told me, his jaw clenched with the effort.
    “So let him. It’s time I show him a shape-shifter’s strength.”
    “Xander, it’s a trick. Xela’s not with Aseret; she’s on the run. What you’re seeing isn’t true. He doesn’t have her yet. If you go now, we don’t have a chance of helping her or binding Aseret.”
    “It’s too late.” I smiled, feeling the heat of the underworld.
    Eric’s eyes glowed purple. He seemed strained, and then released the built-up pressure from his throat. “Arghhh!” He screamed falling to his knees.
    The mirror on the wall cracked, and ripples zigzagged through the falling water. My eardrums throbbed at the high-pitched shout. I shut my eyes. The pull on my body eased.
    “One more minute,” Eric grated. His jaw tightened.
    When he’d bent the evil back toward the underworld, the spikes retreated into his neck and he slumped to the floor beside Mira.
    “Thank you. I guess,” I muttered, but couldn’t blame Eric. He was right—him, and my sister, who was smart enough to know that forming a plan and ambushing the underworld together made us much stronger.
    Eric exhaled, pulling himself off his knees, then Mira, and onto a wooden chair. His flushed face paled as he steadied his breathing.
    “Are you all right?” Mira took his chin in her hand.
    “I’ll be fine, sugar. But Aseret’s powers are increasing. It’ll only get more difficult to contain him.”
    I poured some water from a flask on a side table and handed the cup to Eric, who nodded in appreciation. “And how are we supposed to bind him to the underworld?”
    “The keepers will step in when the time is right. We just have to make sure he stays in the underworld.” He gulped down the water.
    “So by containing Aseret, we’ll get marked?”
    “No. A decision between good and evil will mark you.”
    I barked a laugh. “That’s like telling a child he can’t play with fire and handing him matches.”
    “You’re right. But imagine Aseret getting control of vampires, then humans. Hell, we’ve already lost good warlocks to his demonic army. He’ll change the world.”
    If this was supposed to make me care, I didn’t feel it. I suspected it had to do with the hold Aseret already had on me, through Xela. His power penetrated my bones, and I knew Eric was right. Aseret was planning to take us to the underworld; he just showed me his strength by summoning me.
    Mira’s eyes met mine; her clenched fists mirrored my own. She had