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Kate rubbed at her throbbing temples. She was already so tired. She felt drained and just wanted to lie
down for a few hours.  I honestly don t know, Jonas, but the entity is accelerating its destructive
behavior.
 Dammit, Kate, what the hell could be alive in the fog? Matt burst out, wanting to throttle the thing.  I
don t want you anywhere near this stuff. Why do you have to be the one to face it?
 My voice. The others can channel through me. And Hannah can call up the wind to drive it back to
sea.
He wasn t touching that. It sounded like witches and spells and things he saw in movies, not in real life.
Matt began a slow massage at the nape of Kate s neck to help ease the tension out of her.  Katie, why
would this thing smash gifts? If it s capable of destroying things and moving objects as it did with the
wreaths on the doors, why such a silly, almost petty display? Why do the gifts bother it? What would be
the significance?
Jonas followed them back to the sliding glass door.  That s a good question. Is that all it can do? When
the calls started coming in I thought it was kids and childish pranks. Smashing gifts and outdoor
ornaments and leaving behind dead fish are relatively harmless acts of vandalism a kid might do. Well, at
least I thought a kid might be the culprit until I saw the three kings smashed to pieces. Jackson came out
to the square to take a look at the damage, and he said the scene was reminiscent of his nightmare.
Kate shook her head.  I think it s growing stronger, testing its abilities. It doesn t feel childish to me. It
used wreaths, a symbol often associated with Christmas, and now gifts. Elle said the symbols matter.
Gifts obviously are another symbol of Christmas. She sighed and rubbed at her temples.  Obviously this
thing does not like Christmas at all. Any guesses as to why?
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 I have no idea, Matt said. He used his body to gently shepherd her farther back into the room, wanting
to close the doors against the fog.
She turned in his arms and pressed her body close to his for strength and comfort.  My sisters are
waiting. Even Libby. It isn t easy to sustain a channeling for any great length of time.
Matt tightened his arms around her, holding her captive, holding her safe. He buried his face against her
neck.  I hate this, Kate. You have no idea how much. I want to pack you up and take you far away from
this place. I know you re in danger.
 If I don t do this, Matthew, one of my sisters will try, and they don t have my voice. She hugged him
hard and slowly pulled away from him.
Matt allowed her to slip from his arms, taut with fear for her when she stepped onto the deck. He
stepped beside her. Close. Protective. Daring the thing to come through him to get to her. Jonas took up
a position on her other side. Kate closed her eyes and raised her face to the sky.
A breeze from the sea fluttered against her face. She felt the cooling touch. She felt the joining of her
sisters. All seven, together yet apart. Strength flowed into her, through her. She lifted her arms and knew
Hannah stood on the battlement of their ancestral home and simultaneously did the same.
Matt heard the moaning of the wind. Out on the ocean, the caps on the waves reached high and foamed
white. The fog became frenzied, whirling and spinning madly, winding around Kate so that for a moment
it obscured Matt s vision of her. He reached out blindly, instinctively, and yanked her into the protection
of his body.  This is bullshit, Kate. He pressed her face against his chest and wrapped his arms around
her head to keep the fog from getting at her.
Kate didn t struggle. She didn t act in any way as if she noticed. Her voice was soft, barely above a
whisper, yet the wind carried it into the bank of mist, and it vibrated through the vapor, taking on a life of
its own. Kate remained against him, her eyes closed but her chanting continuing, a gift of harmony and
peace, of contentment and solidarity. She called on the elements of the earth. Matt heard that clearly.
Voices rose on the wind. Seawater leaped in response to the chant, waves rising high, bursting through
the fogbank and breaking it into tendrils out over the ocean. The wind howled, gathering strength, rushing
at them, bringing the taste of salt and droplets of water to brush over their faces. Thunder crashed, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]