Now or Never: Wizards of Nevermore

by Michele Bardsley

  Then the magic—black and white, shining like diamonds, like death—braided together and arrowed toward the children like striking cobras.

  Norie screamed as the burning magic enveloped her. She heard Cullen’s cries, too, and then there was nothing.

  Cullen was five years old, his head throbbing because he’d been shoved into a table with the spell that stole his magic, his memories. He saw his mother lying on the hearth, and he crawled to her, crying. He knew he shouldn’t cry because men weren’t supposed to do that. But Mommy was dead. Mommy was dead, and he couldn’t stop crying.

  The pool of blood gleamed wetly in the flickering firelight. His father rushed in, his Italian leather shoes slapping against the marble floor, his breath harsh and uneven, his face contorted with rage.

  Stumbling past the huge Christmas tree with its bounty of gaily wrapped gifts, he crouched next to him. He grabbed Cullen’s face, his fingers digging cruelly into his son’s cheeks. “What the fuck happened?” he screamed.

  “I don’t know,” said Cullen, weeping.

  His father hit him, hard. He was small, just a boy, so the blow shoved him away from his mother and into the wall. His head struck the marble fireplace.

  Later, much later, he found himself in a room, his head throbbing. His father leaned over him. Beside him was another man, this one in a black robe.

  “The spell is strong. Complicated. Whoever cast it was powerful.”

  “But why? Why cast spells on them?”

  “Perhaps this is an enemy’s attack on you. Kill your wife. Ensure your children never reach full powers.”

  Leo snorted. “They’re both weak. They have so little magic.” He rubbed a hand through his graying hair. “Mary’s blood, no doubt.”

  “We don’t know the full extent of this situation. The children should be separated.”

  “He should be dead,” muttered Leo. “This feels like a nex spell. No one can do those.”

  “A few can.”

  “What happens if they stay together?”

  “Who knows? Where’s the girl?”

  “She was unconscious on the floor.” He frowned. “They don’t remember each other.”

  “The spell, no doubt. Aftershocks, maybe. Who knows? Who cares? It’ll make things easier.”

  Norie rode in the black limo. She was five years old. She wore her favorite pink dress and shoes, and Nanny had brushed her hair until it shone.

  The man sitting across from her was elegantly dressed—as he always was. His brown eyes glittered with disgust, but Norie didn’t shy away from it. Her father’s anger no longer frightened her.

  “Where are we going, Father?”

  “To see a friend of mine. Her name is Millicent. She wants to have tea with you.” He flashed a grin that gleamed like a sharp blade. “You like tea, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  The scene faded…faded.

  Norie stood outside the orphanage, alone, uncertain about where to go, what to do. Then she appeared. Catalina, she said as she put her pale hand on the girl’s forehead. “Your mother, baby. Remember?”

  And suddenly, Norie did remember that Catalina was her mother. So she took her hand, and they walked together down the street.

  * * *

  Norie knew now that Catalina was the magical who’d worked the spell against her mother. And Catalina’s powers had been warped by performing blood magic. That was why she’d gone slowly insane, her body paying the price for blood magic. But Catalina had taken Norie and protected her and kept her away from the Ravens. Until she’d died, without telling Norie anything about her past—or what her future might hold. No, she must have tried. It had to be hard to know she was losing her mind, suffering the consequences of what she’d done…and hanging on long enough for the girl to make it to womanhood.

  Catalina had tried.

  And Norie would, too.

  Then Norie was sprawled in the back of another limousine, a blanket tossed over her naked form. Drugs and magic fuzzed her mind, but she saw him. Black Robe. The kidnapper. The asshole. Now she knew—it was Leopold Deshane.

  Her father.

  “We have to go,” said Elizabeth.

  “Go where?” asked Trent. They had just finished a late breakfast. He’d been thinking of taking her back to bed. He never tired of touching her, of finding the places that made her squirm and moan and sigh. She was playful, and he liked that. But she could also be serious. She made him feel as though he’d been missing a part of himself…a part he hadn’t even known about until that night, that night she had changed his whole world.

  He still grieved for his uncle. He still wondered what the hell was going on with the streak of suicides in town, and that damned Colt that connected those deaths. Maybe his uncle had been murdered. Screw the evidence. But who would do it? And why such random victims?

  “Trent.” Elizabeth reached across the table that was tucked into the small kitchen. “I think it’s time.”

  “Time for what?”

  She smiled—that wonderful, achingly beautiful smile—and once again, he pushed aside his sorrow and decided to live for the moment.

  When Norie woke up from the dream that had restored her memories, she was being manacled. They were still in the barn, but now there were other people there—Ravens.

  “What’s going on?” she asked. Her voice sounded tinny. “What are you doing?”

  “We’re arresting you and your coconspirators for the deaths of Ravens Orley Ryerson and Bernard Franco and for colluding to cover up their murders.”

  The voice was familiar. Norie leaned back and stared up into the now-familiar face. “Hello, Father.”

  “That’s Raven Deshane to you,” he said in a haughty voice. “I have no daughter.”

  “Whatever.”

  Norie’s mouth felt dry, and her head like cotton. She felt different somehow, more alive, as if something electric and foreign lived inside her now. But that power was somehow trapped. No, that was the wrong word. Inaccessible. As if she needed a key to unlock it.

  Her father leaned close and whispered, “Don’t bother trying to get to that precious magic of yours. The chains will dampen the powers of even the greatest mage. By tonight, you’ll be bleeding out on the altar.”

  She saw Cullen lying next to her, unconscious, and he’d been manacled, too.

  “Happy birthday to me,” she muttered. Then she passed out again.

  Chapter 15

  Cullen came awake tied to a chair. Though his first instinct was to expend energy trying to free himself, he squelched the urge. Instead, he inhaled, waited for his vision to quit being so damned fuzzy, and looked around.

  Lenore Deshane, his sister, was tied to a chair next to him.

  “Hey,” he managed in a low voice.

  “Hey.” It was obvious that she’d been awake longer. Given the sweat on her brow, she’d struggled to get out of the bonds. Her wrists were manacled.

  “Where’s dear old dad?” he asked.

  She shook her head. She was scared, he could see that, but she was holding it together.

  “I don’t know about you,” he said, “but he’s off my Christmas card list.”

  She barked a laugh. “Mine, too.”

  “Now, children, is that any way to speak about your father?” Leopold Deshane sauntered forward. Cullen got the impression that others hovered behind the perimeter of their little circle. They’d been placed in a shaft of light beaming down from a hole in the barn roof. But the rest of the place was in darkness.

  “The star twins,” said Leopold. “My very own children.” His face went hard. “And your mother hid you from me.”

  “She sacrificed herself for us,” said Norie.

  “Mary was always prettier than she was smart,” he said. “I tracked you down, Norie, didn’t I?”

  “How?” asked Norie.

  “It took years to unravel the spellwork—starting with your brother. It took our best wizards to figure out what had been c
ast, and then we came across the prophecy. I knew then what Mary had done. And then I found out that Millicent hadn’t done her job. You were alive. Turns out that was good news after all.”

  “You’re a bastard,” said Cullen conversationally. “And this isn’t going to end well for you.”

  Leo shrugged, obviously unconcerned about his son’s threats. “I almost had you killed, too,” he said. “But getting rid of one child was enough of a risk. And a son…well, a son who could carry on the Deshane legacy was better than a girl.” He eyed Cullen with disgust. “What a disappointment you are.”

  “Back atcha, Dad.”

  Leo’s lips thinned. “You’ll understand why you’re not invited to the sacrifice,” he said. “I just need the pure blood of the female star twin to open the portal to Kahl. And we really can’t have you two together, can we?”

  “Together, they can save the world or destroy it,” said Cullen bitterly.

  His father laughed. “As soon as your sister is dead, I’ll come for you.”

  “Leave her alone,” he said. Man, it hadn’t taken long for him to fall back into the big-brother role. They may have been separated for twenty-five years, but he damned well remembered how he’d felt about his little sister. His mother had always told him to protect her, and he would. “I’ll go with you. Willingly.”

  “No,” said Leo. “You’re not the sacrifice.”

  “Dad!” Cullen swallowed the pride, the fury that threatened to clog up his throat. “Don’t hurt her. I’ll go. I’ll do whatever you want.”

  “Yes,” said Leo. “You will.” He rubbed his hands together and offered them an awful smile. “Well, there are preparations to make. And I’ve had enough of family time.” He held up his hands, palms out, and two streams of black issued forth, hitting first Norie and then Cullen in the chest.

  Cullen felt as if someone had punched him with a giant iron fist.

  Then everything went dark once more.

  * * *

  Norie awoke in a jail cell that held Leticia, Lucinda, and Happy. They were awake, standing near the jail door and conversing with Taylor, who’d been imprisoned in the cell across the way. He was alone. He pressed fully against the bars, his gaze full of worry and anger.

  “Norie!”

  “I’m fine,” she croaked as she rolled to her knees and sat up. “Where’s Cullen?”

  “Here.” In the next cell were Cullen, Gray, and Roan. “The Ravens got us all. There were too many, and they were casting spells before we realized what was going on. We don’t know what happened to the other townspeople.”

  “Bespelled is my guess,” said Leticia. “Bastards! Holding us on such outrageous charges. And Deshane! What nerve!”

  “It appears that the House of Ravens absolved Deshane of all wrongdoing,” said Gray to Norie.

  “Which they cannot do! When it comes to crimes of magic, the entire Court decides the punishment, not just one House, and certainly not the House from which the perpetrator belongs!” Leticia’s anger vibrated in every word. “I bet the entire Grand Court is in an uproar. Washington must be in chaos right now.”

  “We have to focus on what’s going on here,” said Gray. “The prophecy said that the star twins accessed the key to the world. I think that’s why they need the nemeton—it’s where the Goddess fountain must be accessed. It’s the only place with enough power to open a portal for Kahl. And Norie’s blood has to be spilled on the altar to make that happen.”

  “Why my blood? Why not Cullen’s?” She sent an apologetic glance to her brother, which he acknowledged with a quick grin.

  “A woman’s virgin blood,” said Gray.

  Norie felt her cheeks go hot. “Oh.”

  “At least we know how the Ravens got into Nevermore,” said Gray. “The town’s magical protections recognized your blood connection to Mary Clark.”

  “So I let them in?”

  “Not on purpose,” said Cullen. “This isn’t your fault.”

  “If we can stop Deshane from completing the ritual,” said Gray, “then the Ravens might rethink the whole idea of war. They can’t win without the demons.”

  Norie stood up and made her way to the front of the cell. “Are you okay?” she asked Taylor quietly.

  “Just pissed off,” he said. His gaze softened. “You?”

  “Bruised ego,” she said. “Not much else.” She looked at him, really looked at him, and saw that he truly was okay. She felt like her time was coming to an end, and she didn’t want it to. For so long she’d felt she had nothing to live for. And now she’d found something meaningful in her life. She didn’t want to give up Taylor. Goddess, what she’d do for that man. “Does anyone know what time it is?”

  Everyone was suddenly quiet, and she knew then that the entire day had been wasted. Whatever plans they might’ve made, whatever preparations might’ve been made—it was all for naught. It was done.

  The Ravens appeared to have won.

  She would fight, though. She would fight until the bitter end.

  It was as if her thoughts had drawn them into the jail. Four black robes entered the narrow hallway, gliding silently as though they were grim reapers.

  Norie readied herself. If she was going down, she would go down hard.

  The first black robe pulled down the cowl.

  “Mordi!” said Taylor, a rush of relief in his voice.

  The other three pulled down their cowls, too, revealing Trent, Ember, and Rilton.

  “Well, now,” said Ember. “Let’s get you outta dere.”

  “Where are the guards?” asked Gray.

  “Taken care of,” said Ember. “How you tink we got dese fancy robes?”

  It took precious minutes to unwind the magic used to reinforce the protections on the cells. Norie’s heart pounded so hard, she could hear it thudding in her ears. She gripped the bars tightly, watching the wizards and witches do their mojo.

  Finally, all the cells were opened. Ember passed out extra black robes. The idea was to get to the portal in the break room upstairs. It seemed that the Ravens hadn’t figured out that aspect of Nevermore.

  They all donned the robes. Taylor swooped in for a quick kiss and then pulled up Norie’s cowl to conceal her face. It was stupid to feel so happy about that little show of affection, but she was. It made her feel loved.

  Oh, wow.

  Everything about her life had been crazy.…At least loving Taylor was the kind of insanity that was good. No, fantastic.

  She got into the line of escapees heading up the narrow stairwell. All they had to do was get to the portal and go to the Guardian’s house. Gray was sure that none of the Ravens would be able to penetrate his magical protections, especially since it had been reinforced by Lucinda’s thanaturgical gifts. Norie had gathered that Lucinda was quite powerful, but the Ravens had no idea how much. Good. Because those bastards deserved to burn.

  They filtered into the break room, only to find three Ravens taking advantage of the espresso machine.

  “Son of a bitch,” muttered Taylor. “How’d they figure out how to use it so fast?”

  While they chatted as though they hadn’t just overrun a town and planned to kill people and colluded with demons…Cullen, Gray, and Taylor walked toward them. As they all turned, the men punched each of them hard in the face.

  All three went down, coffee flying and cups smashing.

  “Damn it,” said Gray. “Get to the portal.”

  Taylor grabbed Norie’s arm and dragged her to the portal. Ember opened it, and Taylor shoved her through, into the cold, dark magic of endless night.

  Cullen watched his sister jump into the portal; then he watched as the sheriff went in after her. He’d seen the way they’d been looking at each other, and he had even spotted that kiss Taylor had planted on Norie. Since he’d only recently discovered he had a sibling, he couldn’t exactly play the big-brother card.

  He shouldn’t, maybe. But he damned well would.

  “You go next,” Emb
er said to Cullen. “Go on, now.”

  He ran across the room. Just as he got to the magical entryway, other Ravens burst into the break room, magic already sizzling around their fingertips. Ember didn’t give him time to make a decision about going or staying. She planted a hand on his back and shoved.

  Ember closed the portal and turned her efforts to fending off the Ravens. More and more arrived, filling up the room with their black robes and foul magic. She’d had enough of this evil, and she called upon the Goddess for help.

  White light flashed in the room, followed by a tremendous boom. When the light and sound relented, all the Ravens were sprawled on the floor.

  “Go!” yelled Gray. Mordi and Trent went first, then Gray and Lucinda, then Happy. Leticia and Roan went next, and finally Ember and Rilton. As they rushed down the hall and out of the lobby, Ember stole another glance at poor Arlene. She was like a statue—one of the victims of the freezing spell that the Ravens had put onto the townsfolk. Everyone who’d had the misfortune of being within a mile of the town had been affected. Ember could only assume the farmers who remained outside of the spell were smart enough to go into hiding. Or maybe the Ravens were in the outer limits causing havoc with the mundanes. She didn’t know. As soon as they rid Nevermore of these pests, the spell would be lifted.

  But she couldn’t be worried about that now.

  They hurried onto the street, everyone who had magic calling it forth. Rilton stayed well behind the mages, knowing it was the only way to protect himself. She wanted him to go to the café, to stay safe in the confines of neutral ground, but he wouldn’t do it. That was the beauty of having a life partner, a lover, a best friend.

  Ravens converged behind them.

  And Ember turned her attention to defending herself, her husband, and her home.

  Ant didn’t like this shit at all. He and Elandra had hidden out at Mordi’s request. They made the necessary preparations, and while Elandra stayed behind to put on the finishing touches, Ant used the closest portal to get to town.

  He came through in Atwood’s office. The damned place was a mess. He stalked through the office and down the hallway. He peered out the window framed in the door. The battle raged fiercely, and he itched to be part of it. But he couldn’t expend his magic. He needed it all to do what Mordi had asked.