“Hazel?” He tried again. “They’re talking to you right now, aren’t they?”
Again, she gave no acknowledgement.
I addressed Schwint without taking my eyes off Hazel. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do anything if she attacked, but I was going to be ready, either way. “Who arethey? You know, don’t you?”
He seemed to feel as wary as I did. Not turning back to look at me, he kept his gaze trained on Hazel. “I’m not sure, but I think I do.”
“Who, then?”
He didn’t respond but took another step toward her.
I stiffened in anticipation.
He took another step. “Hazel?” He waved his hand in front of her eyes, gaining no reaction. “Hazel?”
“Schwint, who are they? Who do you think is doing this?” I stepped forward, drawing closer to him.
Before I closed the distance, Hazel’s eyes stopped staring through me and focused on mine, pupils dilating and contracting as I came into her focus. After a moment, they flicked to Schwint and then back to me again.
Schwint’s whisper was so low I could barely make out his words. “Who are they, Hazel? Who’s doing this to Finn?”
Again, she gave no response. Only her pupils continued their surge and retreat.
He tried again. “It’s the Vampire Cathedral, isn’t it?”
For a heartbeat, I didn’t realize the gasp that filled the room was from me. I felt foolish. He’d had the same suspicion as I, but hearing it spoken made it real, confirmed its truth.
At Schwint’s words, her eyes shot toward him, her lips parting in a snarl. “This is no concern of yours, fairy!”
He didn’t seem fazed. Either there was an irrefutable reason he knew she wouldn’t lash out at him or he was braver than I could ever hope to be. “It is them, isn’t it?”
The ominous weight of the foreboding increased, nearly crushing me. “She doesn’t need to answer. It’s them. It’s the Vampire Cathedral.”
Her smile turned nearly hysterical as she looked at me. “So wise all of the sudden, are we? So enlightened. You don’t even need to ask more questions of Hazel?”
I didn’t answer her. I couldn’t. I didn’t know how I knew, I just did. It was the answer that had been eluding me. This was from the Vampire Cathedral. They were the ones doing this to me.
It made no sense. I couldn’t imagine why they would even know I existed, much less take any notice of me in either good or bad ways. Other than the Square, I had no connection to them, and I hadn’t even known that until a few minutes ago. Even the vampire that had killed Sonia and tormented Brett and my family wasn’t a Royal. It made no sense at all.
The question escaped my lips before the thought had formed in my mind. “Why?”
“Why, little warlock?” Hazel’s sneer transformed from one of disdain to hate in an instant. “Why?” She gave a deep bow, her skirts billowing in black clouds around her. I was close enough that her long witch’s hat smacked across my face, her mocking tone laced with venom. “Because of your great power, of course.”
“I don’t have any great power. No more than most witches, at any rate.” At my words, my family flitted through my mind. Sure, I had the most power of any of us, but not all that much more than Cynthia, and the two of us weren’t more powerful than tons of other witches we’d met.
Hazel ignored my words. “Why? That’s a good question, young one! I ask it every time I see you. Every time you walk past my windows, too afraid to even look at me full in the face. Quivering nearly every chance you get. Why indeed? Why must none of us lay a hand on you? Why must we protect you? Why!” Her hysteria was growing. “You, who are too ignorant and lazy to hone your power! Why were you given such a gift when the rest of us strive and sacrifice endlessly to attain what you don’t even have the brains to notice!”
In her mounting frenzy, Schwint took a step away from her, but in so doing, put himself more in the path between us. “I think we should go, Finn. We’ve gotten all the answers we’re going to get.”
With another muttered word from Hazel, Schwint shot backward once more, and this time collided with a wall display of stone gargoyles. The shelves cracked at the impact and fell to the floor around him. Schwint fell along with them and landed in a heap among the twisted, demonic faces.
Again, I let out a yell and started to rush toward him. My feet didn’t even budge. No part of my body moved. It seemed like I should have felt my neck whiplash at the impact as my body refused to follow the inertia, but not even that happened. Nothing moved. I couldn’t even move my eyes. The only thing I was able to do was breathe, and even that was barely accomplished, only the tiniest amounts of air being let in.
I stared at Schwint as I was frozen in place, straining to see if he was breathing. Looking for a flicker of eyelids, a twitch of fingers, something.
Before I could make out anything, Hazel stepped in front of me, blocking my view of him.
“I may not be allowed to harm you, warlock. You might even be as powerful as they claim you are, but you’ll remember this. Hazel Fetner held you in her sway. You were at my mercy. The one in the Halloween witch costume showed you true power before you were even able to break a binding spell.” She stepped forward and raised a talon-like fingernail to my cheek. She hesitated, a flash of uncertainty played behind her eyes. Then her finger slashed.
