by Patti Larsen
“They put him in a vehicle,” he said in his voice like a waking volcano. “Normally I'd be able to track him no matter what, but his scent just disappears.”
“Magic.” I felt around, finding nothing. But that didn't mean squat. Most of the Chosen I knew with power were sorcerers and it was almost impossible to detect their kind of magic.
“We don't track him then,” I said, a familiar face popping into my head. “We track one of the Chosen.”
Sunny nodded. “You know where to find scent for a particular member?”
Did I ever. “Will it work?”
Galleytrot hummed a growl. “It will. If I can single out the person, I can track them to the ends of the earth.”
Perfect. “Follow me.”
I led them, my magic trail pulling them along as I skimmed the veil. Alison's house soon loomed in sight, as dark as the aging night, empty and hollow. I felt a pang of guilt then, remembering I'd promised my friend we'd talk. Obviously I'd been a little busy, but that fact didn't do much to quell my sense I'd let her down.
I swore to myself as I led my friends around the back of the house to the kitchen door I'd contact her the second I was able.
Sunny paused at the threshold, a shimmer of white light forming around her as she tried to advance closer. Her face twisted in disgust and frustration. “You'll have to do this part without me,” she said.
Right. Vampire rules. No invite, no entry. I felt around inside the house first to be sure we wouldn't accidentally stumble on Angela or Alison, but it was, as I thought, completely empty. I slid air magic inside the lock, my fire element severing the elaborate security system connection before I eased open the door and stepped inside.
Galleytrot stayed on my heels all the way to the sink. I spotted what I was looking for hanging by the door to the main house. The soft gray sweater, the one I remembered the nasty little maid wearing, though the sight did nothing to stir happy thoughts. I jerked it from the peg by the door and shoved it under Galleytrot's nose.
“Find Rosetta,” I whispered, “and we find Sassafras.”
He snorted on the sweater, leaving behind some nice, thick mucus. It made me want to laugh because I knew he did it on purpose.
Sunny hovered, anxious, as we reemerged, breathing a sigh of relief from lungs that no longer drew air from necessity. “You have it?”
Galleytrot once again lifted his huge head, his nose tasting the air. The low growl he'd let out earlier grew in volume, a rumble like the storm he always reminded me of.
“I do.” He ran off without us, forcing us to chase him. I knew Sunny was perfectly capable of keeping up so I didn't worry about her. I opened instead to Shaylee and had her lock onto the big dog while my demon and I slid over the stretching rubber making up the gateway between planes.
I could get used to traveling this way. It was smooth, rapid, almost effortless and my demon loved it so much she howled her joy. I felt like I was surfing on thickened air, the world flickering around me, taking me in only long enough to get my bearings before I was sliding through the veil again.
Most awesome. And way faster than driving Minnie, my blue Cooper.
As I chased the black hound through the darkness, I reached for my mother.
We'll be home soon.
I just hoped I could keep my promise this time.
***
Chapter Twenty Four
It didn't take Galleytrot long to hone in on Rosetta's scent. I was just grateful the Chosen had overlooked the fact the big dog could track her.
Idiots.
The Sidhe hound, Sunny and I crouched at last behind a clump of musty-smelling bushes, gazes locked on the dilapidated old hip-roof barn at the edge of the field. I stuffed down a sneeze as the rising breeze threw the scent of decaying grass our way. Faint light, flickering like fire, showed through the cracks in the warping wood structure.
Fire. That made me very nervous. Especially considering the Chosen of the Light liked to use fire to cleanse those they deemed evil and unclean. Sassafras most likely fit their bill.
I'd been on the receiving end of their not-so-gentle ministrations, tied ruthlessly to a wooden stake and set to flames, so I could only imagine my friend was about to face the same fate if we didn't act.
Luck, it turned out, was finally on our side. Sunny grinned at me, with fierce joy. “Ownership in question,” she hissed in the darkness as she slid one foot over what I could only assume was the property line. “I'm free to enter.”
Wicked. I would have hated to be forced to leave her outside this time.
We eased through the crackling, tangled grass left from last year's growth, the property clearly neglected. Winter had pretty much flattened the tall stalks, spring only beginning to encourage new grass to push up through the old, leaving us with little protection. But it didn't seem like we needed any. I felt around the outside of the building as we approached, seeing Galleytrot's nostrils flare as he snuffled for guards. Sunny shrugged, shaking her head.
Nothing and no one. They'd left the exterior unprotected. They were either arrogant morons who didn't think we'd be able to find them or had fallen so far since Demitrius led them they could barely put two and two together. I was voting for a mix of both.
I chose a broken slat to peer through as I sank to my haunches and peeked inside. At first all I could see were the bottom halves of white robes lit by the warm illumination of firelight. I willed them to move out of the way, almost getting up and repositioning myself. Sunny's hiss of anger held me still as the people in front of me moved aside so I could see.
Sassy hung from ropes wrapped around him, head down, body limp. The stake was thick and looked fresh-cut, still with bits of bark clinging to its rough surface. Wood and brush piled up at his feet, a red canister nearby.
Torches. Lots of torches. The scent of gasoline drifted toward me, the fumes reaching the full width of the barn as one of the white-robed Chosen hefted the can and began to dump it on the pile of kindling.
I'm sensing twenty souls outside of Sassy's, Sunny sent, mental voice tightly contained.
Galleytrot grunted and nodded. Three against twenty weren't great odds.
The Chosen didn't stand a chance.
I stood up, all thoughts of hiding gone and backed up three paces from the building. I needed a way in, the door seeming just too blasé for the mood gripping me. Something less subtle, I was thinking. A means of entry guaranteed to capture their attention.
I tried to remind my demon this wasn’t supposed to be fun while she chuckled evilly to herself.
But this called not for the power of the demon realm, but that which grounded me here. A blast of air magic, a blue tornado of rippling fire, rose from the ground beneath me, answering my call. I sent it hurtling forward, tearing open the side of the barn. I was in no mood to go easy on the Chosen members, and a show of strength seemed more than appropriate. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of triumph as I strode into the barn, wrapped in the family magic, feeling Mom's power reach for me, her rage joining mine. Exhilaration filled me, my body flush with the five branches of energy at my disposal while my demon howled her fury and Shaylee called out an ancient battle cry making my blood hum.
The results were spectacularly satisfying. The Chosen turned as one and stared open-mouthed at us before screaming in terror and running for their lives. I felt Galleytrot move off on my left, red and green energy twining around his huge body as he seemed to grow even larger, shoulders stretching out, wide chest expanding, thickly muscled legs lengthening until his now massive head brushed the rafters. His roar shook the entire barn, vibrating down into the earth, the shaking driving a handful of the Chosen to their knees.
Sunny flickered like lightning, her white undead magic wrapped around her like a robe. I'd never seen my vampire friend fight before, and I was very grateful she was on my side. She moved so fast I could barely see her, striking out with fists and feet, taking down every single Chosen member she encountered.
I focused on my own part of the battle, trusting my friends to do their jobs. And I'm glad I did. I was just in time to see Rosetta lift her torch, her face tight and demonic in its own right, reflected by the dancing light of the fire in her hands and toss it toward the kindling at Sassy's feet. Her cackle of laughter was insane, horrible to hear, as she then threw herself forward at me.
Shaylee's earth magic rose to embrace the torch, enveloping it in green Sidhe fire, extinguishing the flames before they could ignite the fumes from the gasoline. My demon acted in tandem, hurtling her power forward to slam into the small woman's chest, slowing her down, but unable to halt her sorcery-fed lunge completely. I lashed out with the family magic at the same time, hand clutching the crystal in my pocket. I hadn't worked out the hows or whys, only hoping contact with the sorcerous material would help me penetrate her shielding.
I almost lost control of the flow of magic, so sudden and overwhelming was the surge of energy from the crystal. It answered me with the same joy my demon did, only free of all conscience. A wall of pure energy formed in front of Rosetta, a wall she ran right into and bounced off of in an almost comical rebound, her mouth gaping open as she flew backward and crashed into the pile of fuel at the base of Sassy's stake.
Dazed, she simply lay there as I stalked toward her, free fist now clenching and unclenching with the desire to kill her, to wrap my hand around her evil neck and squeeze until there was nothing living left in her eyes.
“Syd.” Sunny grasped my arm, pulled me back. My intention must have been clear on my face for her to look so frightened. “That’s not you. Trust me, you don't want to go there.”
I jerked free of the influence of the crystal, its tiny soul ready and willing to help me kill my enemy, to wipe her existence from the face of the earth. I tried to blame my passionate need to destroy on the stone, on its heartlessness, but even without it in my grasp I still felt the drive to act.
So not the crystal, not really. It was only obeying orders, giving me what I needed. Sunny might think I wasn’t that person, that I couldn’t, wouldn’t, didn’t really want to.
Oh, but I did. I did so very badly. For Sassafras and for me, for all of the witches and magical people they'd killed, all in the name of their false religion and their misguided and evil grand plan. I blamed them, betraying their own kind, powered themselves, serving a cause twisting what we were into something abhorrent.
Galleytrot breathed in my face, the scent of fresh cut grass and a gathering rainstorm calming me immediately. It was only then I backed away, pulled myself together. Took a good look around.
Felt sudden pity. Not empathy, never that, but pity. These weren't the powerful and dangerous people I remembered with their gleaming white robes and sense of purpose. All around me lay what had to be the last remnants of the Chosen of the Light, their robes dirty and torn even without our assistance, the final, desperate collection of those who refused to give up when their order was well and truly dead. I could see it now, as clearly as I'd ever seen anything. I was witnessing the last gasp of a once powerful sect.
And I was more than happy it was over.
I shoved Rosetta aside with my magic, leaving her to sob and gasp in the stink of the fuel she'd planned to use to kill my friend. Blue fire licked around Sassy’s ropes, cutting them, letting him sag into the cushion of power I created to bring him down. He was still unconscious, but I heard his heartbeat as I plunged into his mind and body, searching for injuries.
None. He seemed fine. The dose of sedative they gave him must have been stronger than what they'd used on me. Either that or my demon was more powerful than they gave her credit for.
She hummed happily and took the compliment to heart.
I was about to lay my friend down on the dirt floor when Galleytrot growled, spinning around toward the hole I'd made in the side of the barn. Sunny hissed, white magic flaring around her. I turned myself, dread sending a thrill of fear down my spine, knowing what I would see when I did.
Surprise, surprise. We weren't alone. Not even close.
Werewolves slunk close, their bodies low to the ground, an entire pack surrounding us.
I kicked myself over and over again, swearing in my head while my demon snarled and Shaylee invented new ways to curse. The Dumonts. They'd been here for a reason. Scouting, more than likely. They hadn't left after all.
And I'd led them right to Sassafras.
***
Chapter Twenty Five
I was more than happy to fight again. Galleytrot had shrunk back down to his normal still-gigantic size, but I saw his shoulders shudder as he gathered his power. I knew he could handle the werewolves, leaving me to fight Jean Marc and Kristophe with Sunny's help. No problem. So as the two Dumont boys emerged from the darkness, the older smirking at me while the younger blew me a kiss, I knew we'd be fine.
They were toast.
Problem was, they had their own plan.
I felt her move before I could turn, reached out with my power to keep her from lighting the pyre, but Rosetta was faster than me this time, the spark of magic she used fed by her sorcery, igniting the kindling in a whoosh of super heated air.
My hasty shield protected Sassafras from the worst of it, but I was thrown further out, away from the flames, falling to my knees from the pressure of the heat wave. Sunny flickered beside me, all of her rage focused on the werewolves.
I let her and Galleytrot deal with them, pouring all of my magic into killing the fire. It only took me a moment to realize this blaze was fed by something I didn't understand and refused to go out.
“We have to get out!” I floated Sassy's body toward me, coughing on smoke now billowing out of the barn toward the huge hole I'd made. It was clear the whole place was about to go up, the ancient wood crackling overhead as the flames climbed to light the rafters. Fire raced across the ceiling toward the open loft hatch. If there was anything at all up there, it would catch immediately.
From the whoosh of air and the sudden explosion above, I knew I was right.
The werewolves hemmed us in, yelping and scurrying out of the way as the flames licked out toward them, but they held their ground. Two Chosen woke, staggered to their feet and escaped past the Dumonts.
Who let them go.
Let them go.
I knew it was important, the information mattered, but I couldn't string the thoughts together to figure out why. I had more important things to worry about.
“Give us the demon boy.” Jean Marc gestured, his lavender magic oozing toward the cocoon of blue power protecting my friend. “And we might let you live.”
No way. I lashed out instead, driving him and his brother back. “Come and get him.”
Galleytrot howled suddenly, dancing to the side as a large chunk of ceiling let go, falling on his back. He roared in fury, green and red magic lashing out and forward, driving the werewolves back. Sunny flickered, appearing next to one of the weres, her hand landing a blow so hard the werewolf staggered and fell to his side.
I formed a curtain of family magic around us then, feeling the pulse of power holding back the fire. But it licked at my shielding, burning its way through. No ordinary fire at all, but fed by something that ate through the very protections I'd learned to rely on.
We were running out of time.
Galleytrot's magic dove deep under the ground, emerging behind the werewolves in a shimmering green wall, driving them forward into the flames with us. I looked up, at the ravening inferno, knowing if the beams fell on my shield we'd be killed. I had to get Sassy and the others out immediately.
My demon formed a wedge of her own flames, driving it before us like the prow of a racing ship. The werewolves parted before it, pulling back as the raging flames of the magical fire around us roared with a life of their own. I could see the fury in the Dumont's faces as their plan began to fall apart and allowed myself a moment of satisfaction.
We were going to win. And then I was going to ignore Sunny's ad
vice and I was going to kill them both.
“Help us!” One of the Chosen reached out and grabbed my leg. “Please, don't let us die here.”
I jerked myself free, forcing myself to ignore the moans and choking coughs coming from all around me. They'd made their bed, decided to take on my family. They deserved what they got.
So why was I hesitating? Damn it, I could save us and Sassy or I could save these miserable ingrates who would have happily watched me burn.
“We can't let them die.” Sunny panted in my ear. “We're not like them, Syd.”
Stupid conscience. Stupid, stupid.
Fine. “Guard Sassy with your life.” I flung him forward, into the arms of my enemies, Sunny flying out to protect him. “Galleytrot! Help her!”
He rushed forward, snarling and growling, tossing werewolves aside like children's toys. I had to trust they would keep my friend safe. I had to. Because I had a job to do.
I turned, flinching from a falling beam crashing nearby. A hail of sparks punctured my shielding and scored my jeans. I squeezed the crystal in my fist and tapped into the demon power trapped inside, pulling all of my magic to me. I only had one chance to save everyone and I had no idea if it would work.
My magic found the weakest points in the barn and wiggled between the cracks. With a deep breath and a surge of magic, I threw everything I had into an expanding bubble I then pushed away from me, the edges flashing in a brilliant explosion of power.
I worried I would fail, that my magic would be insufficient.
I was so wrong.
In fact, in my need I drew too deep. The force of magic impacting the interior of the building was so powerful the entire structure blew outward in a circle of flying shrapnel. I was suddenly standing in the open, chunks of still burning wood landing with soft thuds in the distance. I turned slowly, gaping at what I'd done, ducking as some debris came back to earth in a shower of shards no bigger than my hand.
