Natalie turned to the man, watching as he waved a hand over his mouth and a cigarette appeared. It was already lit, and looked very strange. He didn’t look like the type to smoke, and whatever the thing he was smoking was, she did not like the odor. Axle walked off to the side, resting against the wall with his arms crossed.
“Did you set up a barrier around the house?” Axle asked, running a hand through his hair.
Natalie got a good look at him for the first time since they’d gotten back. His shirt was in tatters, and he had cut all over his arms, back, and face. He had been in a fight, and while he looked fine, he had come away with a few injuries. Natalie wondered if it was because of her, but then she shook her head. He always faced off against other demons, it wasn’t her fault.
“No need for that,” Bingwen replied. “Kanai has the bracelet, although it’s a single one, he has it. He won’t be attacking us, not until he has his hands wrapped around the power he has. But in the meantime, Natalie?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re a dormant witch.”
“What?” she asked.
“I’m a sorcerer, and I can use magic. For example, I can use my energy to pull this smoke from another realm, where I kept it for safekeeping. It wasn’t always like this. When I was just a kid, I didn’t know how to use it. The powers were dormant until they were unlocked. There are cases of people who have these types of power as well, but never fully utilize or even become aware of them until they’re in their later years,” Bingwen explained.
“So, I’m just like you?”
The man chuckled. “Oh, dear, you could never be anything like me. You’re your own witch, that’s why the bracelet bonded to you. Because you have power inside you, but you have no idea how to utilize it.”
“So what about the bracelet then, what is it going to do?” Axle asked.
“My best guess, it’ll bring your powers to the surface. Hell, if you were skilled enough, you’d be able to tap into its power. There’s no telling, and a power like that is just too much for a person.” Bingwen paused, deep in thought.
Nat watched as the wounds he had on his face seemed to heal as he bathed himself in the smoke from the cigarette he had on his lips. It had healing properties that worked in real time. She was truly fascinated.
The man snapped his fingers as an idea occurred to him.
“You absolutely live for drama, don’t you?” Axle asked.
“Yes, I do actually. But at least I bring results, I don’t just throw punches and howl at the moon,” Bingwen replied.
“I’m not…”
“I don’t give a shit.” The sorcerer turned to Natalie. “We’re going to have to destroy the bracelets.”
“You said they could barely handle the power before, much less destroy it, what are you going to do?” Axle asked.
“Something they didn’t think to do,” Bingwen replied. “Use the power of one, to cancel out the other. They can destroy each other. If we do that, we win. Kanai loses his power, Natalie is free of the bracelet, and we can kick his ass and go home happy.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Axle replied. “What are you going to need?”
“Time to gather intel and rest because I can’t face off Kanai alone again. As good as I am, this time he has a bracelet, so I can’t even be on the defense. I’d get killed for certain.”
Bingwen walked over to the door and pulled it open. “I’m not going to save your life again, Natalie. So please, do the smart thing and stay here with Axle until we’re ready to act, okay?”
As he shut the door, Natalie turned to see Axle frowning as he walked toward the kitchen. He propped his phone up on the table and made a call, putting it on speaker as he paced back and forth. She walked in, listening in on the call that was about to happen.
“Axle, what’s up?”
“Kanai, that’s what,” Axle replied. “He got something, there was this bracelet, the thing that caused the explosion in the cave. It’s really powerful, and Kanai is like, even worse now. We have a plan to take him down, but I can’t do it alone. I need help, Levi.”
“How long can you hold him out?” Levi asked from the other end.
Natalie had no idea who Levi was, but she could tell that the men were close, and meant quite a lot to each other.
“Not long, maybe a few days, but now that he has this power, there’s no telling what he wants to do, what he might do. Bingwen is away as well, and I don’t know when he’ll be ready.”
“Then hold him out as long as you can, alright?” Levi replied. “Ridgeshire isn’t the safest place right now, and we have more than our fair share of problems to deal with. There are demons here, and Chase is making me lose my mind. I’ll do what I can to bring the pack over, but until then just keep it low and do your best to stay safe, alright?”