My body went weightless. I felt myself lift off the ground and hover over the bed. A dark, heavy pressure slammed into my chest, knocking the breath from my lungs. It was like someone was lying on top of me, or something. I was pushing and pushing but the object wouldn’t move. Sharp electricity pulsed from my left forearm, even with my eyes closed I saw the light flashing from the Mark on his skin. It crackled and popped like a fire struggling to catch flame. With every passing second I felt weaker and more tired.
Except it wasn’t me feeling that at all. It was Kenneth.
“His soul is weak,” Riah said softly from my side.
I cringed and opened my eyes. Bentley stood across from me, holding Kenneth’s other hand. The rest of The Coven was huddled in the far side of the room, just watching.
“What do you feel, Saffie?” Bentley asked with a strangled voice.
I glanced to Paulina who hid in the far corner of the room. She nodded.
I cleared my throat. “He’s alive but he isn’t strong enough to push through the amount of magic he has—” I gasped then spun back to Paulina. “You sacrificed your Mark to live…”
Paulina frowned but then her brown eyes widened. “Dios mío, yes. Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Ohhhhhhhhh…” Tegan slammed her hand against her forehead. “Idiot. Of course.”
Tennessee narrowed his eyes on me. “Yeah but…Kenneth hasn’t regained consciousness so that we can tell him he can do that.”
I bit my lip and eyed his IX Mark. And then an idea formed. “Can we strip him of his Mark?”
“What?” Cooper shrieked from the far side of the room.
“It’s like Jackson and Deacon told me, most of you have been Coven members since you were kids or so long that you don’t remember life before it. Or you were human. But being a Card in The Coven requires an intense amount of magic running through our veins at all times. It fuels us with power like nothing else yet it can also be the thing that keeps you from living. If the soul is too weak it will not push through.” I pointed to him. “He will never pull through if he’s trying to keep his Mark.”
“But how does he forfeit his Mark if he’s asleep?” Cooper scratched his head. “I’ve already tried going into his dreams but it doesn’t work.”
“I can try—”
“No, Deacon.” Paulina shook her head. “Your magic does not work on those that are not fully living.”
“There’s only one thing we can try here. He’s only got one chance left and not much time to do it.” I looked to two of my closest friends. “You have to strip him of his Mark.”
Tennessee cursed and hung his head.
Tegan frowned.
“It’s his only chance. We remove his Mark and he’s just a civilian, and that’s a lot less magic to push through.”
Bettina rubbed her hands over her arms. “Okay, so how do we remove his Mark?”
“We don’t,” Constance said with a frown.
“They do,” Timothy grumbled. “The Coven Leaders have the ability to strip any Card or civilian of their magic.”
Tegan nodded. “She’s right. This is what we have to do. Babe?”
Tennessee cursed then pushed his hair back. “Okay, yeah. Let’s do it. Let’s strip Kenneth of his Mark.”
I squeezed Kenneth’s hand. Hang on, we’re coming for you.
Bentley frowned, his eyes full of pain. “Do you know how to do it?”
“I read it in the Book of Shadows.”
“Same.” Tegan squeezed Bentley’s shoulder. “But you’re gonna need to go back with them.”
Bentley nodded and then sulked back over to stand beside Chutney and Olli.
Tegan and Tennessee stepped up beside Kenneth and placed their left hands on his forearm, right over his IX Mark. They both closed their eyes and I felt their magic slam into my face. Their bodies lit up like a full moon. A bright golden light poured out of their palms and coiled around Kenneth’s arm.
The black letters on his arm turned to gray…and then faded to a pale, pale gray.
Kenneth’s back arched off the bed and then he gasped. His eyes flew open
The Coven swarmed his bed with teary eyes and wide grins. Riah and I stepped back to let them embrace him. Kenneth’s aura was already growing stronger by the second. It hummed in the air. He was going to make it. We did it.
Kenneth’s pale blue eyes swept across the room left and right and back again. “Am I…Crone…Island? What…happened?” His voice was soft and