The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 30

Stefan host kindred a maniac al the way keister to the boardinghouse. I skunkt study I forgot to tel him that his name had been cal ed, he give tongue to for what matt-up standardized the hundredth time. I cant believe we left him al iodine.Slow stamp out, Meredith told him, nerve-wracking to hold lustrelessnesss sleeping dust unfaltering in the hind endseat as Stefan whipped approximately a corner, tires squealing. Youre leaving way too fast.Were in a hurry, Stefan growled, yanking on the wheel to run a hard right. Alaric false or so in the passenger seat and gave Meredith a panicky look as Stefan narrowly missed a gar cornerst unrivalede truck. She sighed. She knew he was trying to make up for his mistake, for non tel ing them immediately that Matts name had appeared in the herb shop, notwithstanding kil ing them al in a race to cast home wasnt scarcely the solution. Besides, although they probably would stimulate done things differently if theyd chousen , it skill non stupefy diversityd the core for Matt. It wasnt as if their precautions had deliver either bonny or Elena.At least youve got vampire reflexes, she give tongue to, much to reassure Alaric than out of some(prenominal) particular confidence in Stefans control abilities.Shed insisted on being the one academic session in the back with Matt, and outright she developed her attention to him. She put a restraining advance on his chest so he wouldnt go tumbling to the floor as the car jerked and swerved.He was so stil . none of the twitching and eye movements that usual y went with sleep, just the sweetie shal ow rise and fal of his breathing. He wasnt even snoring. And she knew from camping trips as furthermost back as sixth regularize that Matt snored standardized a sound saw. Always. Meredith never cried. Not even when the thrash happened. And she wasnt going to start now, non when her friends requisite her brace and focused to try to prefigure out ho w to save them. except if she had been the salmagundi of girlfriend who cried, instead of the kind of girl who strategized, she would score been sobbing. And even now, the breath caught in her throat a little fearsome y, until she schooled herself into impassive calm again.She was the only one left. Of the four old friends whod gone by means of school and summers and adolescence and al the horrors the supernatural arena could throw at them, she was the only one the trace hadnt captured. Yet. Meredith clenched her teeth and held Matt steady. Stefan pul ed up and parked in front of theboardinghouse, having somehow avoided causing whatever damage to other cars or pedestrians along the way. Alaric and Meredith started to inch Matt conscientious y out of the car, looping his arms nigh their necks and slowly shifting him forward into a half- stand position. unless Stefan simply grabbed Matt out-of- admission from them and threw him over his shoulder.Lets go, he said, and sta lked despatch toward the boardinghouse, easily balancing Matts unconscious body with one flock, not expression back.Hes beseem kind of a strange guy, Alaric commented, reflection Stefan alertly. The sunshine caught the stubble on Alarics mustachioed chin and it glinted with a touch of gold. He acted toward Meredith and gave her a rueful, disarming grin. at in one case more into the breach he said. Meredith took his hand, tender and solid in her own.Come on, she said. erstwhile they were in the boardinghouse, Stefan clomped refined upstairs to doctor Matt with the other bodies the other sleepers, Meredith reminded herself fiercely. Meredith and Alaric, hand in hand, turned toward the kitchen. As she pushed the door open, Meredith heard Mrs. Flowerss utter.Very useful indeed, my dear, she was saying, a warm note of approval in her voice. Youve done rattling wel . Im so grateful.Meredith gaped. At the kitchen t open with Mrs. Flowers, imperturbable and calm and graceful in a blue linen dress, sit shore Dr. Celia Conner, sipping tea.Hel o, Alaric. Hel o, Meredith, said Celia. Her dark eye bored cool y into Merediths. Youl never believe what Ive found.What? said Alaric eagerly, letting go of Merediths hand. Her heart sank.Celia reached into a tote bag sitting by her chair and pul ed out a thick sustain bound in ragged cook leather. She smiled triumphantly and announced, Its a book on phantoms. Dr. Beltram ended up sending me to Dalcrest break ege, which actual y has a very comprehensive col ection of texts on the paranormal.I suggest we adjourn to the den, Mrs. Flowers said,w here we can be more comfortable, and examine its contents to standher.They locomote to the den, but Stefan, when he joined them, did not seem any more comfortable. polar types of phantoms, he said, taking the book from Celia and flipping quick finished the pages. The history of phantoms in our dimension. Where is the proscription ritual? Why doesnt this thing wealthy person an index?Celia shrugged. Its very old and rare, she said. It was exhausting to find, and its the only book on the put down were likely to be able to get our hands on, maybe the only one that exists, so wel ingest to excuse things like that. These older texts, the authors expected you to read straight through and real y subscribe about their subject, to to a lower placestand what they wanted to tel you, not just to find the page you containful right away. You might try looking near the end, though.Alaric was watching Stefan whip through the pages with an expression of pain. Its a rare book, Stefan, he said.Please be more careful with it. Would you like me to look?Im used to conclusion what I need in these kinds of books.Stefan snarled, real y snarled at him, and Meredith snarl the hairs along the back of her neck rise. Il do it myself, teacher. Im in a hurry.He squinted down at the text. Why does it have to be in such(prenominal) ornate home run? he complained. Do nt tel me its because its old. Im older than it is, and I can barely read it. Huh. Phantoms who are provide like vampires on one election sensibility, whether it be guilt, or despair, or hatred or lust for victuals, the demon rum, or fal en women. The stronger be the sensibility, the worse be the outcome of the phantom created. I signify we could have figured that out ourselves.Mrs. Flowers was standing slightly removed from the rest of the group, look fixed on empty air, grumble seemingly to herself as she communed with her mother.I know, she said. Il tel them. Her eyeball focused on the others as they stood nearly Stefan, peering over his shoulders. Mama says that time is get short, she warned.Stefan leaped to his feet and exploded. I know its getting short, he roared, getting right up into Mrs. Flowerss surprise example. Cant your mother tel us something useful for once?Mrs. Flowers staggered away from him, reaching out to steady herself on the back of a chair. Her face was white, and suddenly she looked older and more light-boned than ever before.Stefans eyes widened, their color darkening to a stormy sea green, and he held out his hands, his face horrified.Im sorry, he said. Mrs. Flowers, Im sorry. I didnt mean to frighten you. I dont know what came over me Im just so maladjusted about Elena and the others.I know, Stefan, Mrs. Flowers said gravely. She had regained her equilibrium and she looked stronger, calm and wise again. We will get them back, you know. You must have faith. Mama does.Stefan sat down, turning back to the book, his lips pressed together into a straight line.Her skin quiver with apprehension, Meredith gripped her stave more tightly as she watched him. When she had revealed to the others that the members of her family were hereditary vampire hunters and that it was now her turn to take on the duty, she had told Elena and Stefan that she would never turn on Stefan, that she mum that he wasnt like other, evil vampires, th at he was good clean and benign to humans.She had made no such promises about Damon, and Elena and Stefan hadnt asked her to. They al shared an unvoiced understanding that Damon couldnt real y be characterized as harmless, not even when he begrudgingly worked with them, and that Meredith would need to keep her options open when it came to him.But Stefan she had never thought this would happen, but now Meredith was worried that someday she might not be able to keep her promises about Stefan. She had never seen him acting the way he had been lately nonrational, angry, violent, unpredictable. She knew his behavior was probably caused by the phantom, but was Stefan becoming too flagitious? Could she kil him if she had to? He was her friend.Merediths heart was racing. She realized that her knucks had whitened against her vieing stave, and her hand ached. Yes, she realized, she would fight Stefan and try to kil him, if she had to. It was true that he was her friend, but her duty had to come first.She took a inscrutable breath and consciously relaxed her hands. Stay calm, she coached herself. Breathe. Stefan was guardianship himself more or less under control. It wasnt a decision she had to make. Not yet, anyway.A few minutes later, Stefan stopped flipping pages. Here,he said. I appreciate this is it. He turn over the book to Mrs. Flowers. She scanned the page quickly and nodded. That feels like the right ritual, she said seriously. I ought to have everything we need to perform it right here in the house.Alaric reached for the book. He read the spel , too, frowning. Does it have to be a blood spel ? he asked Mrs. Flowers. If it backfires, the phantom might be able to turn it against us.Im afraid its going to have to be a blood spel , Mrs. Flowers replied. Wed need more time to experiment to change the spel , and time is the one thing we dont have. If the phantom is able to use its captives the way we think it can, its only going to get more powerful.Alaric b egan to speak again but was interrupted.Wait, said Celia, a slightly shril note in her usual y husky voice. A blood spel ? What does that mean? I dont want to get involved in anything she searched for a word unsavory.She reached for the book, but Stefan slammed his hand down on it. Unsavory or not, this is what were doing, he said quietly, but with a voice as hard as steel. And youre a part of it. Its too late for you to back out now. I wont let you.Celia gave a convulsive shudder and cringed back in her chair. Dont you dare threaten me, she said, her voice quavering.Everybody calm down, Meredith said sharply. Celia, no one is going to make you do anything unless you agree to it. Il entertain you myself if need be. Her eyes flew quickly to Alaric, who was glancing back and forth between them, looking worried. But we need your help. Please. You may have saved us al by purpose the spel , and were grateful, but Stefans right youre part of this, too. I dont know if itl work withou t you. She hesitated a beat. Or, if it does, it might leave you as the phantoms only target, she added cunningly.Celia shivered again and wrapped her arms around herself. Im not a coward, she said miserably. Im a scientist, and this irrational mysticism worries me. But Im in. Il help any way I can.Meredith, for the first time, felt a flash of sympathy for her. She understood how hard it must be for Celia to keep up to think of herself as a analytical person while the boundaries of what shed always accredited as reality col apsed around her.Thank you, Celia. Meredith glanced around the room at the others. Weve got the ritual. Weve got the ingredients. We just need to gather everything together and start casting the spel . Are we train?Everyone sat up straighter, their faces taking on expressions of stern resolve. As scary as this was, it was good to final y have a purpose and a plan.Stefan surd deeply and visibly took hold of himself, his shoulders reposeful and his stance sett ling into something less predatory. Okay, Meredith, he said. His stormy green eyes met her cool gray ones, in perfect accord. Lets do this.