She looked confused for a second, like she hadn't been expecting my reply, which was rather the point of it.
"And then you'll be dead?" she said, still sounding confused.
"I mean, and then what for you. Once you've shared my life's blood around thirty or so women, making them all murderers, then what? What's the power for?" I asked.
"What does that matter? Once we have your power, we can do what we want! We'll be a force to be reckoned with," she said, a dark smile crossing her face.
"So, it's just power that you're after? You have no goals? No idea what you want to do with it? Power is the end?" I said, letting confusion cross my features. Behind me, Demise was tense, her sword ready, her Magic on the cusp of action. I needed to defuse this before she became agitated enough to start swinging.
"Power is all," Jones hissed.
I smiled sadly at her.
"Does it keep you warm?" I asked.
At that, she looked even more confused, and so did the others.
"What?"
"I can see your aura. You're no murderer, not yet. You've got a lot of death on you, but it's all animal, nothing human. Taking a sentient life leaves you cold, empty; stained. Do you think that the power you gain from my life will keep you warm after that? Do any of you?" I said, looking around the square now.
"Don't listen to him!" Aldwich barked, "He gets in your head!"
"Power is a means," I said, ignoring him.
"Spoken like someone who has it!" Jones snapped, trying to regain control of the conversation. The other Witches were starting to think about what they were doing. With any luck, that's all it would take to stop a bloodbath.
"All power!" I replied, "Political, physical, oratory, charismatic, Magical. All of it is simply a means to an end. Power without purpose is nothing but self indulgence. The things that are really worth having can't be gotten with power. Of any sort."
I was looking around me. Many of them were listening, but they were on a knife's edge, one bad word away from violence.
"Power doesn't keep you warm at night. It can't hold your hand when you're hurt, or nurse you back to health when you're sick. It can't care for you when you're old," I let my voice soften, "Power only loves power, and you can't take it with you when you die. Trying leaves your life even more empty at the end than it was at the beginning."
A few of them were looking doubtful, even Aldwich, even Jones.
"When the end comes, we all have to pay the debts we incur in this life. Murder in the pursuit of power comes with a terrible price. And it means that you've given up on all those things that truly make life worth living. Power cost me the best thing in my life. I'd give it all up for one more day with her," I said, realising that it wasn't entirely a lie, "Don't be like me. Go home, find someone you care for, and who'll care for you. Live well and die happy, surrounded by hope, not lonely ambition."
They were quiet for a long minute, some obviously thinking, others confused.
"We can just go?" one of the ones from that first night (Patty, I think) asked, "You won't chase us?"
"I didn't before, did I?" I pointed out.
She nodded, and took her friend by the wrist, backing towards a gate which stood in front of an alley.
"Stay where you are!" Jones barked again.
Patty looked back at me.
"Nobody will stop you leaving. I give you my word as Lord of the Deep," I said, my voice firm, the tone hard enough to make Jones swallow.
Patty and her friend left, and then more and more of them too, until only Jones and about half a dozen remained, along with Aldwich.
"I'll make them pay," Jones said, glaring at me.
"No you won't," I said, my voice cold; she stepped back, readying her Magic, fear banishing the self-satisfaction from her expression, "Those girls, each and every one, are under my protection. The protection of the First Shadow, do you understand what that means? Do you know what happens to you if you hurt them?"
"Screw you!" she shouted.
And just like that, it started.
It didn't last long.
Demise had just been waiting for an excuse.
I'm just thankful that she had a strong sense of justice and fairness.
She killed Aldwich, though. There was nothing I could do to stop that. He had blood on his hands, and he'd wanted very much to add mine to it. I'd seen him gather electricity for a nasty strike, and Demise would have, too.
She made it quick, though.
Her Magic flowed, and her reflexes were boosted to superhuman levels. The only other people I knew who could move as fast as Demise were Cassandra and Kron. She lashed out exactly once with her sword as she passed by Aldwich.
His neck vanished in a cloud of Death Magic, and his head rolled neatly to a stop next to Jones, even as she was raising her hands and speaking the words to a spell (lazy, you didn't need Magic words, there was no such thing, they were only memory and concentration aids, and those were for amateurs).
She stopped immediately, her face filling with terror as my Warden walked slowly towards her, blade outstretched.
"Stand down in the name of the First Shadow," Demise said, pointing the tip of her sword right at Jones' neck, her voice cool and steady, "You are all under arrest, get down on the ground or lethal force will be used."
All but Jones dropped immediately.
"I won't surrender!" she shouted, but her voice was shaking.
"Don't be stupid, girl! The Lord Shadow could have killed you a hundred times over, and so could I. Now get down before any other stupid thing happens!"
Jones obeyed, but her eyes almost pulsed with hatred as she did so.
I sighed as I pulled out my phone.
"Can't even take you for a walk from A to B without you starting a small war," Demise muttered.
"How was this my fault?!"
"It's always your fault somehow," she replied, giving me a glare.
I called Hopkins, who called the SCA, who sent Braak of all people. He had the good grace to look sheepish, at least.
"Hello," he said as he walked into the square.
"They sent the traitor?" Demise asked, her voice quiet, almost a whisper as she looked him over.
"Or possibly a patsy, depending on who you ask," I replied.
Demise looked him in the eye. Braak swallowed loudly.
"Don't give me cause to notice you again, turncoat," she snarled.
Braak nodded vigorously and pulled out a notebook.
I lowered my defences, thinking that we were probably safe, and then we gave him our statements. After which, there was the discussion of what was to happen to the Witches.
"I want to take them in for questioning," Braak said, "They did attack an Archon after all."
"I don't think that'll be necessary."
"What?" Demise, Braak and Jones all said at once.
"I think that the young lady and I can come to an understanding," I said, calling my Will.
Jones was pulled up to her feet and she squeaked. I stepped up to her.
"Do you understand that the rest of the Coven is now protected?" I asked, sliding a Mental probe into her mind so I could make sure she was being honest.
"I do," she said.
She was telling the truth.
"Do you intend to do any of them harm?"
She shook her head, again no deception.
I nodded.
"Good," I said, "I meant what I said, it wasn't a trick. Please, remember my advice, before it's too late. Listening to people like Aldwich can only end badly."
She didn't react, just stared at me, rage, hate and disgust flitting over her features. I shrugged and turned my back on her.
Big mistake.
It turned out that she had a little knife in her sleeve, three inches long and razor-sharp. In a single move, she cut my throat. Before I even had the chance to scream, she'd clamped her lips to my neck and drank down a good mouthful before Demise could act, darting up to us and punching he
r hard in the face.
Jones' nose broke, and she flew back, revealing the slice in my neck, which had gone right through both my jugular and carotid. My blood sprayed into the air, and the other Witches suddenly leapt towards me, overcome by blood-lust, and out of their minds from hunger. I dropped to my knees, my vision already blurring from the trauma.
Two of them dropped to the ground and started lapping my blood off the grass while the others went for my neck, their eyes wide and ravenous. That was not a good sign, losing control like that was indicative of some very dark practices.
There was no time for anything subtle. I called my Shadows and sent them flailing at my attackers. That would hopefully buy me the time to cast the quick triage spell which would keep me alive.
Jones, glutted on my blood, her Well full of my power, called electricity from the air and threw a bolt of Lightning at my Shadows. The light it released tore a hole through my constructs and let a small surge of energy strike my chest hard enough to char my shirt and the flesh underneath. The pain affected my concentration and I almost lost my preparations for the Triage Spell.
I sent more power into my Shadows and got back to work, finally casting the Triage Spell just as Jones threw another pair of Lightning Bolts. My reinforced Shadows took the first hit, and I put up Will in time to absorb the second. She snarled in frustration and pulled back her arm, calling a much larger attack this time. Energy started to gather, but before she could cast it, Demise slammed into her like a battering ram.
Death Magic flared, and my Warden punched a fist right through Jones' chest and out the other side while she brought up her sword and stabbed the Witch straight through the head. A single twist and a pull, and the woman flew apart, the edges of her wounds turning to dust as Demise flung the bits away.
I might have thrown up again, but I was busy gasping for air, feeling very lightheaded. I cast a stimulant spell to keep my mind sharp while I started weaving the Flesh Lattice that would close the wound in my neck. I had no attention to spare for anything else, but it wasn't like I was necessary.
Demise and Braak charged right into the Witches, laying about them with weapon and Spell. I had no idea how the pair managed to avoid killing the girls, because they were vicious. I saw teeth fly, limbs bend at horrific angles, joints get dislocated and skin bubble from the sudden, acidic introduction of chemical energy. It was ugly, but at least it was over quickly, leaving the Witches in an insensible, mangled heap, but alive.
I lowered my Shadows as the last of the screams stopped and Demise came over.
"Christ!" she said, inspecting the damage. She pulled out her phone and started dialling.
"Lady Hopkins; it's Demise, there's been an incident."
Oh dear. Hopkins had been snarky enough on the phone when I'd called her a few minutes ago. She was going to yell...
I couldn't hear Hopkins' side, but Demise said:
"He's hurt, but coping, Ma'am. I would have called Blackhold for help, but I'm the only Portal-trained Magician we have, and I dare not leave him."
"Braak, Ma'am, and we know he can't be trusted," Demise said, glaring at the SCA agent, who was securing the Witches with Spelleater Manacles.
"Thank you, Ma'am," Demise finished.
She turned to me and stood next to me, her eyes everywhere.
"How's it going?" she asked.
"Not too badly," I answered, "the wound's simple, but it's full of germs, I don't think her knife was very clean."
"You lost a lot of blood, how's your thinking?"
"Fuzzy but functional," I said, concentrating.
A Portal opened before I was half way done, and Hopkins came out of it, followed by Cassandra, Jillian, and six of Hopkins' own cadre of personal soldiers. They were professionally trained, one and all, tough and competent. They were normally a cheerful, tight-knit bunch, but today they looked seriously miffed. They wore black tactical gear that you might find in a military assault force and carried various automatic weapons as well as staffs, wands and swords. They looked imposing, to say the least.
And there was Cassandra and Jillian, in suits, their weapons concealed, very understated. I know which group I'd prefer to have at my back.
Hopkins initially started moving towards me, but saw that I was in the middle of healing myself and stood off, moving towards Demise instead, Cassandra hot on her heels.
"What happened?" Hopkins asked.
I barely heard what they were saying, and didn't really remember it until later. Demise explained what had happened, and Hopkins' face went white with fury. Cassandra started eyeing up the remaining Witches with a rather evil eye. I finished casting the spell that would stitch me back together, and I felt a tingle as it went to work. The wound on my neck started to close, itching all the while.
"I still don't know how he did it," Demise added softly, "He actually managed to talk most of them down! Two dozen Witches who'd been promised Archon blood, and he talked them into just... leaving, it should have been impossible!"
"Our Mathew always did have a silver tongue," Hopkins replied with a smile, "Just pray you never get into an argument with him, he'll twist you around so badly you'll end up taking his side somehow. I hate it when he does that..."
Demise snorted.
My wound slowly pulled itself closed, and I cast a little Spell to stimulate blood cell production. I also needed fluids, so I pulled water from the air and drank it greedily, it helped.
"I just can't leave you alone, can I?" Cassandra asked when she was sure I was finished and that she wouldn't be interrupting anything important.
"It seems not," I said with a smile, "all I can say is thank God, Demise was here, I'd be dead otherwise. Very dead. And eaten, probably."
"See? I told you that having Wardens around is good for you, didn't I?"
"Yes," I grumbled.
"So...?" she said, nudging my side.
"You were right."
"And...?"
"Really?" I asked with a wince.
She nodded, smiling evilly.
"And I was wrong," I continued.
"There we go," she said, patting my back.
I grumbled and she laughed. Hopkins came over.
"Really, Matty, Witches? Again?"
"It wasn't my fault, I swear!" I protested.
"This is starting to get ridiculous, Mathew!" Hopkins said, "Can't you go five minutes without something trying to kill you?!"
"I thought I'd successfully talked her down! How was I to know she was a raving lunatic?"
"Here's a clue: She was a Witch!" Hopkins almost shouted.
"They're not all bad."
"Oh yes, thanks a bunch for that, by the way. Twenty-five witches now under your protection, and thus, ours? That's just bloody terrific. Do you know what 'under your protection' means? It means they can claim sanctuary whenever they want! They can come to your house."
"Oh, what an unfortunate turn of events. I was, after all, definitely going to turn away a bunch of kids that asked for my help, and now I can't, oh bother," I said dryly.
"I will beat you to death with your own shoes one day, Mathew Graves, I swear to God!" she barked, but then she dropped to the ground and pulled me into a hug, "Stupid boy."
"You're starting to confuse the crap out of me," I said, returning the hug.
She thumped my back, but gently(-ish) and pulled away.
"Stop getting hurt!" she said, "I can't handle the stress! Any more of this and I'm going to have to start seeing a Healer for my blood pressure!"
"I'm fine. A little patch job and I'm ready to go."
"Yeah, right back to bed, if I'm any judge," Cassandra muttered.
"Well excuse me for being a little tuckered out!" I said, glaring at her.
Cassandra rolled her eyes, so did Hopkins.
"How do you manage this day-in, day-out?" Hopkins asked, "He's such a weed!"
"Hey!" I complained.
"Mostly I ignore it," Cassandra replied, "That's the main reason
I let him move the Succubus in. She likes that he's weedy, takes the pressure off me."
"This is starting to get a little hurtful."
"Poor little fella'," Cassandra said, patting my head like I was an errant puppy.
"I'll sulk," I threatened.
They sniggered like there weren't two corpses nearby; I guess they were used to that sort of thing.
"Why is Braak walking around, by the way?" I asked.
"He was following orders from the Primus," Hopkins said, turning a glare on the agent, "He gets a slap on the wrist. No doubt when Kraab gets back from wherever he is, there'll be more of a reckoning, but at the moment, we're stuck with him, unfortunately."
I sighed and tried not to grumble.
"You head off to class, now," Hopkins said, "try to keep a normal schedule going until this breaks. There's likely to be fallout, though. Aldwich was a respected man."
"I'm going to get blamed for this, aren't I?" I asked, resigned.
"It's you, so... probably," Hopkins said.
"Crap."
"And you may wish to do something about the blood on your shirt?" Hopkins suggested evenly, "don't want to scare the villagers and all?"
I looked down at the mess and winced, "You may have a point."
Chapter 27
After that start to the day, I would have expected the rest of it to have been rather a horror show as I relived the deaths over and over, but Porter rather took my mind off it.
I walked into her classroom, Cassandra in tow this time, and saw my professor's face break out into a mischievous smile. She stood and came over to me.
"Your highness," she said with a smirk as she gave a clumsy curtsey.
"Oh, ha, ha!" I said.
She snorted and smacked my shoulder hard enough to bruise, "That's from Vanessa, she says you're a dick for not telling her, and now she feels like an idiot for not spotting it. She says she'll administer proper retribution later."
"That sounds unpleasant," I said warily.
"You'd better believe it!" Porter replied, "The last time a boy pissed her off this much, she married him!"
I must have looked confused, because she started to explain.
"It was on a dare, the boy in question got her mad, a wager was made, it ended badly, and let's leave it at that."
Heart's Darkness Page 34
