Ophelia shrugged. “Sometimes.”
The world rumbled around us. I shot to my feet. “What the hell?”
An earthquake violently shook the ground, sending the people sprawling across the ground. The tents at the end of main street caved in on themselves and pieces of building fell to the ground. Screams rang out all over and people stampeded for cover.
Zinnia looked out over the main street toward the elemental fields. “He’s here.”
Chapter 34
Zinnia
Ophelia jumped up beside me. “He must’ve heard about the crowning.”
Niche shoved her way through the crowd of people seeking cover. She ran toward us with determination etched into her face. She threw her clipboard down on the table. “Enough is enough. We will have no peace. Ophelia, do you have the potions I asked you for?”
O pointed to the vials of clear liquid on the table. “They’re right here, but I’m not sure what you need them for. I mean, they aren’t that complicated.”
Niche didn’t answer the question. Instead, she looked at Beckett. “Do you have the crystals?”
Beckett shoved his hand into his pants pocket. He pulled out a handful of black cords with a white crystal attached to each of them. “Right here.” He placed them in Niche’s hands.
“Niche, what is all this?” The barrier shook overhead like a bomb went off. I braced my hands on the table to keep my balance.
She handed the crystals to Ophelia, Serrina, Tabi, and Nova. “Put these on.” Then she placed one vial of Ophelia’s potion in each of our hands. “Drink this.”
“Niche, information now.” I was going to drink the vial, but I had to know what we were all getting into. What all this meant.
She pushed her oversize glasses up her nose. “These crystals will form a protective barrier over whoever wears them. The catch is you will have to stay next to each other for them to work. It’s like a force field of sorts. And the vials are like magic energy drinks. They will provide you with enough energy to use your powers endlessly for the next hour without falling to exhaustion.”
I motioned to the others. “Okay, so why don’t I get a necklace?”
“Because it has to be you who faces him and if you’re behind the force field you never will be able to. I made this for a reason. You were crowned for a reason. It’s going to come down to you, Zinnia. Your powers are the strongest when combined. The only way that happens is through you.”
Ophelia dropped the necklace over her head. “So we”—she motioned to the other queens—“are like a magical battery pack?”
“Essentially, yes. But this time no amount of magic will be able to get to you so long as you remain together.” Niche turned deadly serious. “You have to make sure Zinnia has an endless supply of power. The problem in the past with facing Alataris was he had all the power, and now you’ve taken it away from him.”
The crown on my head suddenly felt heavy. I pulled the sword from the holster at my hip and held it at my side. “Enough is enough.” He’d tortured thousands, tried to kill my friends, tried to kill me, he held Evermore as prisoners of fear, and he killed the other queens and knights to come before me. Blue flames ran down my sword. “It’s time to end this.”
“Queen Zinnia!” he bellowed my name as if he were shouting over a sound system. “I want my crown.”
I didn’t yell back. I knew he waited for me outside of the barrier. Instead, I looked at my fellow queens. “Are you ready for this? One last time . . . one last battle?” I held my vial up to them.
Ophelia slammed hers into mine, clinking the glass together. “Here’s to kicking ass.”
Nova tapped hers against both of ours. “Cheers.”
“Bottoms up.” Serrina lifted her glass to her lips and drank it down in one shot.
Tabi rubbed the edge of the vial over her lips. “To us, tonight, one last fight.”
I looked at the strangers who’d become my sisters. “One last fight.” I place the cool glass against my lips, tilted my head back, and sucked it down. It was like drinking twelve cups of coffee, taking an energy shot, and sleeping for fifteen hours straight all rolled into one. I threw the glass onto the ground, where is shattered. “Time to go.”
“Oh, and Zinnia,” Niche called. “Nice soulmate mark.” She shook her head. “Looking back on it now it was pretty obvious wasn’t it?”
I winked and smiled. “Yeah it was.” I spun on my heels and marched down the street with the queens beside me.
Tuck’s heat was at my back. He barked orders to the knights. “Protect them at all costs. This is what we’re here for. I’m with Zinnia. The rest of you spread out around them. Nothing gets close to them.”
Brax held Sherman close to his chest. The tiger shifter never went anywhere without his dog. He bit the side of his hand and offered up the tiny drop of blood to his dog. Sherman lapped at it and before he blew up to four times his size, Brax tossed him to the ground. “With pleasure.”
Ashryn, Adrienne, and Grayson all followed in serious silence. We were going to do this. To face the man who made each of our lives a living hell.
Beckett moved in beside Ophelia. “I promised Cross I’d keep an eye on you.”
“God forbid we disappoint Cross.” Ophelia rolled her eye, yet I could still see the flush of pleasure on her face.
The streets were deserted all but for the crowd that’d gathered just before the elemental fields. The robed elders stood in a thick straight line, silently waiting for me to get closer. Sana stood at the center of them all.
I pointed out beyond the fields where I could feel Alataris’ power rolling in turbulent waves. “Sana, you all need to take cover. Alataris is here and he won’t leave until he’s met by force.”
She pressed her wrinkled lips together. “With respect, Your Majesty. We wish to fight. We have been trapped under his thumb for way too long. He will have his army and you will have yours.”
I didn’t want anyone else dying by Alataris’ hand under my watch. I shook my head. “It’s too dangerous.”
Tuck placed his hand on my shoulder. “Let them fight. They’ve been oppressed long enough. It’s time for change.”
A smirk spread over Sana’s face. “Precisely.”
“Fine, but you only take on the Thralls and the stray warlocks. Do not engage Alataris himself. You all leave him to me. Understood?”
Sana looked over her shoulder at the crowd of at least forty other robed elders. They all nodded in agreement. “You have our word.”
I nodded to Tuck. He stepped up next to me. “File in behind us. Zinnia is going to open the barrier.”
“And let them in?” Sana looked at me with horrified shock written all over her face.
“Yes, right into the elemental fields. I wonder how well his followers will fair.” Without another word, I marched forward. The group of elders parted and when I passed, they filtered in behind us.
The first time I saw the elemental fields I was captivated by their beauty. Nothing had changed since then. Each one was about the same size as a football field and they stood next to each other. Directly in front of me was the fire field. It was a barren desert. Steam rose up from the cracks in the hard-packed dirt. Random outbursts of flames shot from the ground like dangerous geysers. To the left side of the fire field was earth. The landscape continually changed from the lushest garden to an unstable rocky terrain. The ground rumbled and moved every few minutes. To the right of the fire fields were the wind lands. Small tornados danced over the ground and around each other in a tango of wind and mayhem. And just to the other side of the wind fields was the water area. It was crystal clear and smooth as glass on the surface. Drops of rain rose up from the water on one side of the field and fell on the other. When I looked at them, I still couldn’t help but wonder how the hell any of it worked.
A hammering fist against the barrier drew my attention from this magical world back to reality and the tyrant I called my father. Alataris stood just be
yond it. When my eyes met his, he threw his arms up. “Do you fear me, child?” His voice was muffled by the glass-like structure keeping him out.
I lifted my hand and with so much ease I siphoned the magic from a single section of the barrier. It went from thick glass to the thinnest vail. I shook my head. “Why don’t you come a little closer and find out.” I waved Alataris forward.
His Thralls filtered into the fire field like a swarm of ants. They crawled over each other, fought and clawed to get beyond the fire geyser turning them to dust. Their neon tracksuits must not be fire proof. The elders scattered from behind me and fanned out, taking on any Thrall that dared make it through. Balls of magic flew in all directions, striking their targets with precision. Alataris threw his head back and bellowed to the heavens. With two hands he grabbed the warlocks standing closest to him. Black magic swirled around their bodies and right before my eyes Alataris drained the life from them and their magic. They turned from human to husk-like corpses.
Alataris stepped through the opening and walked over the fire field like he was walking down a hallway. “I want my crown, girl.”
I pointed to the one on my head. “This crown? Sorry, you can’t have it. As a matter of fact, I don’t think it’ll fit you anymore.”
Magic struck my back like a hot poking iron. The queens had joined together, and it was like a cord had been connected from me to them. The power was too much for one person to contain. I shot my powers straight down into the ground. Thick vines sprang up around Alataris’ body. At first they covered his feet then crawled up his body and around his torso. They squeezed and constricted like snakes around him. Until he was surrounded by a layer of vines so thick, I could no longer make out his body.
I paused, waiting to see if they would strangle the life out of him. They heaved and contracted. Alataris took a step toward me and the vines exploded in an array of leaves and twigs.
“Your juvenile parlor tricks won’t work on me.”
He threw his hands up into the air and a huge bolder rose from the ground and flew directly at me. I dropped to one knee and held my arm out like a shield. The ground rumbled beneath my feet and a sharp rock shot up in front of me. With a deafening crack the two boulders collided. Rock and dirt hung in the air between us. “Sticks and stones, Dad.”
I spun around in a circle, gathering fire to my chest like a balloon. “Tuck.”
“On it.” He leapt up into the air.
I blew the fire from my hand like a flame thrower. The flames transformed into the shape of a phoenix with its claws extended out toward Alataris’ face. He threw a ball of water, dousing out the flames. But not before Tuck flew through them in his phoenix form with his claws out. He wrapped his giant talons around Alataris’ neck and yanked him off the ground. He kicked his legs like a toddler having a tantrum.
Alataris clawed at Tuck’s grip, yet he didn’t let go until he reached the top of the dome. He opened his talons and dropped Alataris from a great height. I threw my hand out, forcing one of the tornados to rise from the wind field. It caught Alataris in midair and sent him spinning like a tea cup then whack. He smacked into the side of the barrier like a fly on a pane of glass.
He fell to the ground and landed on his hands and knees. “Is that all you have? A few tricks with your friends’ magic?” He pushed up onto his feet and sucked in a deep breath. “You want to keep my crown, you’ll have to do better than that.”
He drew his long sword from behind his back and charged toward me. I lifted my heavenly fire blade and began running at him. Power flooded my body from the queens, so much power it made me run faster than I ever had before. Alataris leapt up into the air with his blade over his head. I jumped up, meeting his downward swing. He knocked me sideways. My body twisted and I smack into the ground. The air rushed from my lungs and I gasped. Alataris landed just over me. He held his sword at his side. “In what world could you beat me?”
He swung, aiming for my neck. A white flaming sword slid in front of my face, blocking Alataris’ blow. Tuck threw his arm up, shoving Alataris back from me. I scrambled to my feet and grabbed my sword with both hands. Tuck moved in the opposite direction from me. Alataris stood between us with a smirk on his face. “Awww, a double team. How cute.” He pointed his sword at me. “I will have my crown and I will have all the power I desire once I drain your little friends there.”
He motioned to where Tabi, Serrina, Nova, and Ophelia stood behind a veil of white magic. The crystals around their necks glowed a soft light. Each of their hands were open and magic flowed from them to me. I swung for his throat. He’d taken my mother. There was no way I’d let him take the rest of my family. Metal hissed against metal when our swords collided. On the other side Tucker jabbed his sword forward. Alataris dodged and spun around his sword, smacking mine then Tuck’s. I lowered my aim and went for his leg. He jumped over my sword while smacking his blade against Tuck’s.
A black ball of magic flew from his free hand right at Tuck’s chest. Tuck stumbled back. The ball missed him by inches. All around me chaos broke out. The elders fought with everything they had against Alataris’ army. Magical explosions filled the air and bodies littered the ground. I stepped over a white robed figure that’d fallen.
Alataris followed my every move. “I will have it all.”
I felt him use his siphon power to pull on my magic. The next strike was even harder and made the sword vibrate painfully in my hands. Tuck flew up behind him. Alataris spun and caught him around the throat. He pressed his sword to Tuck’s neck and I saw red. Tuck kicked his foot out, connecting with Alataris’ chest.
Alataris dropped him and stumbled back. That was close, way too close. My anger rose with the power flooding my body. Power. That was all he wanted—more and more power—and he’d stop at nothing to get it. His obsession would never go away. There was only one way to end this. “You want power . . . well, here it is!”
I threw my arms out at him. Tentacles of my silver magic wrapped around his arms, neck, and torso. When I felt the first pull of his siphon magic, I didn’t fight it. No, I shoved more of it into him. A sneer broke out over his face and he threw his head back and laughed. “Yes! More, yes!”
“Zinnia, what are you doing?” Ophelia called out to me.
Giving him exactly what he wants. I couldn’t answer her, couldn’t even breathe. I took everything I had left in me and shoved it into his chest. The dark magic from my mother’s spell, the piece I’d taken from the barrier. I let it all go, forcing him to take it.
“You think I can’t take it?”
The magic ropes I had wrapped around him thickened and curled around him. Alataris staggered toward me. “Give me what you’ve got, girl.” He ran at me and wrapped his hands around my neck. He yanked me closer all the while squeezing, cutting off my air supply.
I sucked everything the queens had to offer me into my body. I held it there, letting it build impossibly bigger. It was going to kill me, I knew it would, but it would kill him too. I dug my nails into his hand, trying to pry it way. Power exploded out of the two of us in waves, yet neither of us relented. Over his shoulder I saw Tuck struggling to get closer. He held his hand over his eyes, blocking the waves of magic from his face. His skin turned an angry shade of red and blood tears streamed from the corners of his eyes and out of his nose.
I opened my mouth, trying to suck in air, but I couldn’t. I was dying, I knew it, and so did he. Alataris smiled. “I told you I would win. Nothing will stop me from ruling.”
All at once the queens collapsed to the ground, yet I kept drawing on their magic. Beckett hovered over Ophelia. “Zinnia, stop, you’ll kill them!”
No, I wouldn’t. I just needed a little more to stop him. The sound of a sword slicing through flesh hit my ears before what happened even registered. Tuck stood behind Alataris with his sword plunged through my father’s chest. Alataris dropped his grip on my neck. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth and he smiled. “Nothing magi
c can’t fix.”
I kicked the side of his leg and he dropped to his knees before me. “Have it all.”
I pressed my left hand to the side of his face and shoved the ball of energy I’d been holding onto right into his body. His eyes widened and turned bloodshot. His skin paled to a sickly green and began to glow with white light.
He shook his head. “No, stop, it’s too much.”
“I thought you said it would never be enough.” I pulled back my flaming sword and plunged it directly into his heart. I grabbed the back of his head and whispered, “For Mom.”
When I let him go Alataris fell back onto his heels and looked down at his chest. His skin bubbled and blistered as he tried to contain all the power I forced upon him. He looked up at me with those deep onyx eyes of his and for the first time they were clear. “I . . .” A rattling cough broke from his chest. “I lost. . . impossible.”
Before I could respond his body froze to stone. Cracks moved over his skin, letting out small beams of magical light. One by one the cracks grew until his body could no longer hold the power within. He exploded in a burst of magical snowy light. I stumbled back, watching the particles of dust fall to the ground. My sword and Tuck’s clattered to the ground, landing in the pile of ash that was all that was left of my father. Tuck staggered forward and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. We stood like that, staring at the ash, not saying a word.
I killed my father . . .
The Thralls that’d been under Alataris’ control burst into dust. Any warlock left fled from Hexia as fast as their magic could carry them. Silence hung in the air for long moments after. Then the distant sound of thunder echoed all around us.
Tuck glanced at the sky. “What was that?”
The ground cracked beneath my feet and I jumped away from the fissure that ran from the center of town out past the barrier wall. Everything shook and rattled. I grabbed onto Tuck as several buildings crumbled to the ground in Hexia. “Earthquake!”
Tuck and I clung to each other until the shaking stopped. He looked over at Beckett. “Is everyone okay?”
Wicked Queen (The Royals: Witch Court Book 5) Page 18
