Caleb coughed and rolled onto his side, the pain in his ribs sharp but manageable. Mara rushed over, her own aura fading as she knelt beside him.
"You okay, kid?" Sal asked, lowering his ridiculous shotgun.
"I think so," Caleb groaned, pushing himself up with Mara's help. "Ribs are shot. But I have the Stone, the diary, and the map."
He laid the map out on the table for Mara and Sal to see, pointing to the red circle under the Clock Tower. "Julian is wrong about the Stone's function. It's a governor. He wants to remove the final seal and let the void in when the Solstice hits tonight."
Mara traced the map with a delicate finger, her expression grim. "The Solstice energy peak is at midnight. We have four hours." She looked at the intricate web of red lines. "If he forces that breach, Oakhaven is done for. We need to reinforce the seal, not fight him for it."
"He's got the manpower of his entire society backing him up at that tower," Sal noted, reloading his shotgun. "We're two magic users and a dock worker with a salt gun."
"Three," Caleb corrected him, standing up straight despite the pain. "I'm the Finder. I find solutions. We can't fight them conventionally, but we can fight them magically. We need to get to the base of that clock tower and use the Stone to reinforce the seal before he breaks it entirely."
Mara pulled the photo of Edmund Vance from the satchel and looked at it critically. "The Vances knew how to control the power. We need a ritual of binding. Something strong enough to withstand Julian's magic."
"We need supplies," Sal said. "Silver, iron, salt, and enough blessed items to build a dam against the Void."
Caleb looked at the clock on the wall. 8:00 PM. Four hours until midnight.
"Mara, hit up the occult shops. Take whatever you need. Sal, use your contacts at the docks for iron filings and industrial salt. I'll get my reserves from my safe house," Caleb ordered, the panic settling into cold, hard resolve. "We meet at the base of the Clock Tower at 11:30 PM. We're going to stop a breach."
They dispersed into the cold Oakhaven night, the fog still thick, the city unaware of the battle for its very existence about to commence. The chase was over.The finale had begun.
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