As they get closer, it’s even more obvious that they’ve been infused with something more than just Witch juice. There is definitely a twist of Archangel in there. I didn’t even know that Archangels could share their power. But even if they can, I bet they’re not supposed to, since it gives an unfair advantage.
I barely have time to finish that thought when a sound so piercing that it makes every piece of glass in the house shatter, attacks my ears. I’m able to keep the glass from cutting any of us, but the idea that all the beautiful and priceless artifacts in the house just turned into a pile of shards pisses me off to no end. And the noise? Did they seriously think that I wouldn’t be able to silence it? Amateurs.
They’re outside the house now. The closer they get, the more my blood boils. Walking to the foyer, I swing the door open and fling so much magic at the three Witches standing out there, they become airborne and fly at least a hundred yards. I’m not messing around with them. I want them out of the picture as quickly as possible.
It’s even more proof Belial has done something to them when they get tossed the length of a football field onto asphalt and get up again. It looks painful, but they do it. Damn it.
“Xandra, my love, we are not in a realm of magic. There are humans about who may find such things odd,” Kallen says behind me.
Crap, he’s right. Fine, then we’ll bring the fight inside. It’s not like the house isn’t already messed up. So, with my magic perfectly focused, I latch on to the three Witches and practically drag them to the house. I feel them trying to resist, but to no avail. It’s not long before they’re standing in front of the door. I drag them the last few feet so they are in the house and then slam the door shut behind them.
“Now!” the female Witch says and the three begin to chant over and over. “We call upon the power of darkness to lay claim upon this Witch’s soul.”
“Oh my god, are you guys idiots?” I ask. “That’s not even a spell. And it doesn’t rhyme. One of the basic tenets of Witchcraft is ‘to bind the spell every time, let the spell be spoken in rhymes’,” I say in disgust.
“But,” the female Witch says, “we were told…” Her words die out as I start laughing.
“Let me guess, the spell was whispered in your ear by a being who wouldn’t show himself to you but promised you could get revenge for me making an ass out of you earlier. Right?”
“How did you know?” one of the male Witches asks in surprise. I guess he didn’t know it was a rhetorical question. Idiot.
“You are the smart one, Little Witch Fairy.” I know that voice. Oh god. He’s here. A blinding white light confirms that and the screaming of the Witches who have just experienced flash blindness means he’s in this realm. He didn’t pull me into Angel time.
To the Witches he says, “You have served your purpose.” Then the three of them are nothing but a tangled heap as they fall unconscious to the floor. “These two on the other hand will still be quite useful.”
I don’t even have to turn around to know what he means. “I will find a way to kill you, Belial, if you harm the tiniest speck on their bodies.”
“Your words and threats are nothing to me,” he drawls as if he’s bored.
Trying to maintain a strong front, I turn slowly, dreading what I’m going to see when I’ve made a one-eighty. Well, at least my dreading didn’t go to waste. Kallen and Josh, who have clearly been blinded as well, are hanging in the air by magical nooses. “Oh, how cliché is that?” I shake my head. “You’ve been around for eternity and you come up with something that hasn’t been used in this realm for about a hundred years. You need to get out more, Belial.”
I’m hoping he’ll be mad enough to drop them and focus on me. Unfortunately, he’s an Archangel who can multitask. “You are correct, perhaps something a little less humane is in order.” With an unnecessary snap of his fingers, a contraption of torture appears. Even Wes Craven isn’t capable of imagining this device. To his credit, it is modern and sleek looking with its shiny steel parts and rubber tubes, but the horrific things that it’s capable of make it impossible to look at. With this, he could easily keep them alive as he slices and removes sections of their body. And now Josh and Kallen are lying on it, all strapped in and ready to begin.
You know, I think he’s seriously underestimating the power of a pissed off Witch Fairy. With a burst of magic so fast and so hard that he can’t stop it, I destroy his machine. The guys drop hard to the ground, which hurt them a lot less than the device of torture would have. “The greatest power in the universe is love, Belial. You’ve used it for intimidation, but you’ve forgotten that it can also be used as a very powerful motivator.”
With a sweep of his hands, Josh and Kallen slide limply across the floor and hit the wall hard as Belial clears a path to me. A gross crunching sound tells me at least one of them now has broken bones. I’m pretty sure it’s Josh. I’m hoping he’s already unconscious. “Then, we shall take love out of the equation,” he growls. “Having you watch as I tortured your husband would have been fun, but I am willing to forego the pleasure and skip to the part where I kill you.” The look on his face and the determination in his steps confirm his words.
He flings magic towards me, but I’m expecting it. I put up a shield that stops it from reaching me. Like the water, I’m not sure how long I can keep it at bay, but I’m going to give it my all. As he increases his attack, I put more power into my shield. Unfortunately, manmade walls can only withstand so much pressure. The wood and plasterboard are not equal to the thick slab of stones in the temple that kept a magical conflict confined. The house begins to creak and tremble, the ceiling above us cracks and the light fixtures fall to the floor.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Kallen slowly rising to a sitting position. He’s trying to keep off from Belial’s radar, so I don’t look over at him. When he’s sure no one is paying attention to him, he puts his hands under Josh’s arm pits and drags him quietly across the floor. It’s definitely Josh who has broken bones. Kallen wants to get him out of harm’s way. I love him.
The strong pinches on my back tell me my wings have finally arrived. They know I can’t fight Belial without them. With renewed effort, I fight him off even harder, but nothing really changes. This is beginning to feel like trench warfare with neither of us making any progress except increasing our hatred of each other. I try sending some of my magic around him, but he counters the move. He does the same and I’m ready for him. Is this how I’m going to spend eternity? Volleying magic back and forth against Belial? No, because I’m sure Belial has more stamina than I do. Eventually, I’ll tire out and I’ll be the one on his torture machine. I’m pretty sure he’ll drag out my death at least as long as I tortured him with the bag of bones spell I used on him.
Kallen has gotten Josh out of the room, and I assume out of the house since it may fall down any minute from the sound of it, and now he’s back for Eliana. Since he can’t see, he has to quietly feel his way through the room. I had better be able to heal his vision.
Before he can get to Eliana, though, she sits up. She’s still pale and I’d bet my life that she’s still burning up with a fever, but she’s up. I’m not sure if I should be relieved or worried. When she stands on shaky legs, I go with worried.
Unlike Kallen’s, her movement doesn’t go unnoticed. Belial sends an evil sneer in her direction. “Your puny little gods do not frighten me, mortal. You are not my enemy and I will leave you unharmed. Go.” Well, how magnanimous of him. I think he’s a little more worried about her ‘puny gods’ than he wants to admit.
“You’re attacking my friend in my realm. That makes you my enemy,” Eliana says, her voice becoming stronger as she speaks. “You know, I thought you’d be at least a little scary looking instead of this metrosexual pretty boy image you have going on. You don’t even have enough style to be called goth, which would at least match your reputation. Maybe you should go home and work on that.” Oh my god, I love her! I even catch a
little smirk from Kallen where he has stopped by the fireplace.
A fireball explodes in the air around Belial, startling me as well as him. He is able to keep it from burning him, but I think it came pretty close. Now, I think I need to come at him from the other side. While he’s focused on Eliana, I take the opportunity to break through his shield long enough to cram some of my magic in him. He didn’t burn on the outside, but he’s burning on the inside now. He growls loudly and expels my magic, but now it’s Eliana’s turn again.
The floor rumbles and gives way under Belial’s feet. A chasm opens, threatening to engulf him. His wings keep that from happening, but he’s distracted again. I tear at his wings, causing him to roar as some feathers are ripped out and fall to the depths below. Wow, I wasn’t sure if I could actually do that or not.
My surprise is my undoing. I find myself on the floor of the foyer with his magic making my blood boil so hot, I’m pretty sure my clothes are melting. I’m so relieved when it retreats because Eliana has attacked his other wing with fire. The smell of burning feathers fills the air. With a primal cry, Belial pushes everything he has at her and Eliana goes flying. She lands on the stairs after breaking through the banister. The far wall cracks open from the impact of her hitting it.
I don’t have time to see if she’s okay before it’s my turn again to be attacked. How civilized that we’re taking turns. Right.
I find myself on the receiving end of a fireball. I duck and shield as it soars over me, crashing through the wall like a fiery torpedo. This house will not still be standing when this is done. Again, another thing I can’t stop to consider while being attacked by an evil Archangel. I need to focus on fighting back.
Fire seems to be the trendy way to go, so I try my hand at making a fiery ball. My effort turns out to be impressive and I surprise Belial with my newfound ability. Maybe Eliana is wearing off on me or this may be one of the Angel skills I have and just didn’t know it until now. Either way, some of the fire is able to sneak past him because he hesitates due to his shock. More burning feathers. So glad they’re not mine.
Eliana is back with a wind that batters Belial incessantly. He brings his black wings around to shield him, but her power to do this has obviously increased significantly with Isis on board. It’s making a tornado wind seem like a breezy summer day. Again, the house won’t be standing at the end of this, but at least we’ll keep Belial from taking control of people in this realm in his search for vengeance.
I add another fiery ball to the mix and his magic pulls back in an effort to shield himself as much as possible. But, it’s no match for the two of us working together. Pieces of glass are in the air and they’re nipping at his bare skin. The fire has caught hold of his wings and hair. Eliana combines more fire with the windstorm, and we watch as it he goes from being torn apart by the wind and glass to being engulfed in fire. It is one of the most gruesome things I’ve ever seen. His skin turns black as he drops to his knees in defeat.
Chapter 36
“You are certainly an impressive team,” Tabbris says when she appears next to me, watching the horror movie playing out in the living room.
“Have you come to strip him of his wings?” I ask hopefully.
She shakes her head. “Unfortunately, Belial is cunning. Creating illusions and encouraging humans to lower their inhibitions and behave the way they have always dreamed does not truly violate free will. All beings have it within them to stand against such things.”
“Then why did you come?”
“Because Belial has stepped too close to the line considering he has been warned twice and he must be punished.”
“What will happen to him?” I ask, letting go of the magic attacking Belial. Eliana does the same.
“He will stand before a tribunal and be stripped of some of his power for a period of time,” she says and I notice a distinct lilt in her voice which is unusual for her. She’s going to enjoy this I bet. Belial is definitely not the most popular Angel around. As if reading my mind, she says, “Rashnu is waiting to give the final judgment in the matter. It has already been decided that he will not be allowed to seek vengeance for any actions taken here or in the past.” That’s great to hear. Wish they would have decided that a little earlier, though.
Tabbris turns to Eliana. “It is a pleasure to meet one who has been chosen as protector of this realm by the ancient gods. Few can walk among our kind without harm and to do so while defending one of our kind makes you even more extraordinary. You are welcome to call upon us if ever a need arises.”
“Thank you,” Eliana whispers. She’s in Angel awe at the moment like I used to be when I first met the Angels.
Tabbris is not one for lengthy chats. “We will take our leave now,” she says, walking to Belial. Without a look back to say good bye, she touches Belial’s already healing skin and they are gone. The absence of Angel light is a surprise to both mine and Eliana’s retinas.
With them gone, my attention immediately focuses on Kallen. I rush to him at the same time Eliana asks, “Where is Josh?”
“I brought him to the gazebo,” Kallen says with a grimace. I don’t think Josh was the only one to end up with broken bones. My husband is leaning against the wall and holding his left arm in place. He pulled Josh out of here with a broken arm. Yeah, I definitely love him. “He will be in a great deal of pain if he awakens before being healed,” he adds.
Eliana is out of the room before he even finishes that sentence leaving me to focus on Kallen. I touch him gingerly, trying to determine his injuries. “My arm is broken and my left ankle may be as well,” he tells me to save time and get to the healing part faster. And he’s blind but he doesn’t feel the need to speak the obvious.
As I begin healing him, I ask, “What about Josh?”
“He hit the wall first and sustained greater injury than me,” he says through gritted teeth. I wish healing didn’t hurt. “His leg is fractured in several places and his tibia has broken skin. He lost consciousness immediately upon impact.” Well that’s good. He didn’t have to feel the pain of the compound fracture. Poor guy. Though I’m sure Eliana will have him as good as new momentarily.
About the same time I finish healing Kallen, Eliana and Josh come back into the room. Josh looks a little shell shocked, but other than that he looks fine. Eliana looks great compared to what she looked like an hour ago. Her skin has color and her fever has obviously broken. She comes right over to me and pulls me into a hug.
“Does this mean you don’t regret meeting me?” I ask as I hug her back.
She laughs. “I don’t regret meeting you at all.” She steps back and looks around the nearly destroyed house. “Though next time you visit, we may need to stay somewhere a little more durable.”
She’s trying to make light of it but I see the pain in her eyes as she takes in the destruction around us. I look to Kallen and he gives me a slight nod. Hooking my arm around Eliana’s, I say, “Let’s go outside for a few minutes to catch our breath and then we’ll figure out the house.” She lets me lead her out of the room and out of the house.
Chapter 37
We’ve been sitting in the gazebo for about twenty minutes when an extremely fatigued Kallen comes out to join us. I raise my brows in question and again he gives me a slight nod. Standing up, I say, “Are you ready to see what can be salvaged?”
“No,” Eliana says with a sigh, “but I suppose we must.” She and Josh stand up and the four of us make our way back to the house.
When we’re inside, both Eliana and Josh’s mouths drop open. They are now standing in the living spinning slowly around trying to take in what has happened. I can’t help but grin. “Surprise,” I say.
“What happened? How did it happen?” Eliana asks.
“My gorgeous husband is able to do reversal magic.”
“What’s that?” Josh asks. “I mean, I can see what the end result is but how?”
Kallen shrugs. “It is a gift not bestowed upon many but,”
he wraps his arm around me and pulls me close, “with a wife like mine it is a handy skill to have.” I give him a sour look and he chuckles, kissing my forehead. I lean into him and snuggle closer. I’m too happy to have made it through yet another death defying situation to be bothered by his teasing.
“Everything is back the way it was,” Eliana says, still taking it in. “The artifacts, the floor, the windows, everything.”
Starting to feel uncomfortable with the wonderment his magic has inspired, Kallen says, “Unfortunately, reversal magic takes its toll. I hope you will not think it rude if I retire for the evening.”
Eliana shakes her head and smiles. “Not at all.” Looking at Josh with both love and lust in her eyes, she says, “I think we will be turning in as well.” The grin on Josh’s face as he pulls her into his arms tells me that he sees those things in her eyes as well.
Blood of Egypt (Witch Fairy Book 8) Page 17
