Chapter 26 "The Decent"
MARGARET
Margaret watched Adrian's car with satisfaction.
He'd done it. Her grandson had actually done it.
The girl Ember Winters sat in the passenger seat, clearly confused and scared. Good. Fear would make the process easier.
"Millicent," Margaret said to the woman beside her. "Prepare the basement. We'll begin as soon as they're inside."
"Are you certain the boy will cooperate?"
"He doesn't have a choice. Not anymore." Margaret descended the front steps as Adrian finally opened his car door. "Come, Adrian. Bring her inside. Let's end this curse once and for all."
EMBER
Ember's instincts screamed at her to run.
But Adrian was already opening her door, his expression apologetic and determined all at once.
"It'll be okay," he said quietly. "I promise. I won't let anything happen to you."
"Then why do I feel like something terrible is about to happen?"
"Because you're smart." Adrian helped her out of the car, keeping his hand on her arm protective or restraining, Ember couldn't tell. "Just trust me a little longer. Please."
Against her better judgment, Ember let him guide her toward the house.
Margaret Crane stood at the entrance, her smile cold and welcoming all at once.
"Ember Winters. I've heard so much about you." Margaret's gaze was sharp, assessing. "Come in. We have much to discuss."
The house was exactly what Ember would have expected from a mansion high ceilings, ornate furniture, oil paintings of stern looking ancestors lining the walls. But there was something else too.
It smelled like roses. And something darker underneath.
"This way," Margaret said, leading them down a hallway.
Adrian's grip on Ember's arm tightened. "Grandmother, I was thinking maybe we should talk first. Before"
"There's nothing to discuss, Adrian. You know what needs to be done."
"But what if there's another way"
"There isn't." Margaret stopped at a door at the end of the hall heavy wood, with symbols carved into it that Ember didn't recognize. "The Scarlet Woman has returned. And she must be destroyed. Tonight."
Ember's blood turned to ice. "What?"
Margaret looked at her with something that might have been pity. "You poor child. You don't even know what you are, do you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The blackouts. The missing time. The dreams that aren't your own." Margaret opened the door, revealing stairs descending into darkness. "You're possessed, Ember Winters. By a spirit named Rosanna Vale. And tonight, we're going to set you both free."
Ember tried to pull away from Adrian, but his grip was iron.
"Adrian, let me go"
"I can't," he said, and his voice broke. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
And then he was pulling her down the stairs, into the basement, into whatever nightmare Margaret Crane had prepared.
EMBER
The basement was lit by dozens of candles, their flickering light casting dancing shadows on stone walls. In the center of the room was a table no, an altar with leather straps attached to each corner.
And standing around it were four women, all elderly, all wearing black, all chanting in a language Ember didn't recognize.
"No," Ember gasped, fighting against Adrian's hold. "No, no, no"
"Hold her still," Margaret commanded.
Adrian's arms wrapped around Ember from behind, pinning her arms. She tried to scream, but one of the women Millicent pressed a cloth over her mouth and nose.
Sweet smell. Chemical smell.
Chloroform.
Ember's vision blurred. Her legs gave out. Adrian was saying something apologizing, maybe, or promising but his voice was fading, growing distant.
The last thing Ember saw before darkness took her was Adrian's face, tears streaming down his cheeks, mouthing words she couldn't hear.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
ADRIAN
Adrian laid Ember on the altar, his hands shaking so badly he could barely fasten the leather straps.
"Tighter," Margaret instructed. "She'll fight when she wakes."
"She's unconscious"
"The spirit isn't. Tighter, Adrian."
Adrian pulled the straps tighter, hating himself with every second. Ember's head lolled to the side, her face peaceful despite the nightmare she was trapped in.
"Good," Margaret said. "Now step back. Let us work."
The four women formed a circle around the altar, their chanting growing louder, more urgent. Margaret pulled out a ceremonial knife silver, ancient, with symbols etched into the blade.
"The ritual will take approximately thirty minutes," she explained to Adrian, as if discussing a dinner recipe. "First, we bind the spirit. Then we separate it from the host. Then " She tested the knife's edge. "Then we destroy them both."
"Both?" Adrian's voice was hoarse. "You said you'd spare Ember"
"I said no such thing. The host must die with the spirit. It's the only way to ensure Rosanna doesn't return." Margaret looked at him with something like sympathy. "I know this is hard. But it's necessary. Our family has protected this town