Elemental Storm (The Eldritch Files Book 6)

by Phaedra Weldon

  When they didn't pay any attention to Emily, she stepped further into the room and reached out to grab the dagger. But apparently the sharp object had no intention of being taken. I gasped as it shot out of the one boy's hand straight up at the ceiling, then stopped inches from embedding itself there. It spun around, the silver of its metal glittering against the sunlight coming through the window, then it dove straight at Emily. It would have skewered her chest if her Gnome, her Earth Elemental, hadn't knocked it away with her axe.

  The knife lodged into the doorframe next to my Sylph. Bad idea. I saw his face turn toward it, his eyes staring at it quivering in the wood. Was he…was he actually thinking of taking it?

  Oh, hell no! I called my Earth Elemental and had my Gnome push the dirt up under my sandals to launch me up and through that open window. I didn't sail through gracefully, I might add. In fact, I smacked my shoulder against the side of the window frame, but I did land with a roll and my sandals came down on the boys' altar, ultimately snuffing out their candles and tipping their brazier over.

  All three of them screamed as they grabbed their heads. Whatever they'd been doing, it was real to them. I still couldn't sense anything remotely magical about their ceremony.

  "Samantha Hawthorne!" Emily yelled with a shrill tone. "What do you think you're doing?"

  No time to explain as I came up and went for the dagger just as my Sylph did. I wasn't sure, but I knew somehow that he shouldn't touch it. It would be bad if he touched it.

  -You're right. Do not let him near it!-

  The Arcane's added urgency pushed me faster as I crossed the room and reached out for that quivering handle. Emily was inches away from me and moved pretty damn fast to intercept me by grabbing my damn cloak and yanking it back.

  I gagged as I lost my footing and fell back into the yelling dudes. But that was nothing compared to the pain that abruptly split my insides open. I'd been through some rough stuff in the past year, especially having my Elementals taken from me in a warlocking, losing Crwys to a crazy Faerie, and then drinking Dragon's blood and risking the dangers of Alfheim to get him back, as well as death when the Summer Faerie Queen took my soul in order to protect it from the Vampire who wanted my body. But nothing prepared me for the breath-stealing agony that ripped my insides out. I rolled off of one of the kids and onto the floor, clutching my stomach in a fetal position, afraid to look because I was so damn sure something had reached in and ripped my chest apart.

  "SAM!" Dharma's voice interrupted my pain just long enough for me to open my eyes.

  I saw my Sylph using the dagger to cut and saw at something I couldn't see. I screamed as I felt every slice and movement of that weapon. Dharma's Water raged through the house in a magical tidal wave, surging forward to cover my Sylph and wrap him in foam.

  The dagger hit the floor and shattered into fragments so small they looked like dust mites in the window's sunlight. Dharma's Water calmed and lapped at my face and hands as I heard Emily shouting in the distance.

  Dharma's eyes filled my world as she put her soothing hand on my face. "Sam…your nose is bleeding. You're bleeding…Sweet Lady…what happened? What in Diana's name happened?"

  I took her hand in mine as I felt and heard the thunder and anger in Crwys's roar coming closer. He was already on his way to me, having sensed my distress in his bond. Dharma bent down, and I spoke the truth, "My Sylph…is gone."

  TWO

  "I must admit, I've been meaning to have a sit down with you, Mr. Holliard."

  "Detective Holliard," Crwys corrected as he paced the small waiting room in Tulane Medical Center. The doctors had taken Samantha past the unpleasant, no-nonsense sentries garbed in aqua and teddy bear patterned scrubs and through a set of double doors. He and his partner, Detective Levi Tulose, had been driving down Canal when he felt his fiancée's pain. He not only felt it as a physical pain, but also somewhere between his body and soul, in his very core. The pain caused him to lose control, and he'd nearly driven his Mustang into a streetcar at a stop sign. Luckily, Levi turned the wheel and bumped the car against a wooden pole.

  Seconds later he was speeding in her direction, a flashing red light stuck on the top of his car and Levi demanding to know what the hell was going on. He was still demanding answers as Crwys questioned Dharma Parande and Emily Pearson, the Earth Witch Crwys wasn't all that impressed with. She kept insisting whatever it was that happened was Samantha's fault for not following protocol. Crwys figured he'd get the truth from Dharma as soon as he could.

  Minutes ago, their little group had been joined by the new Grand High Witch, or whatever he was calling himself, Martin Cosgrove. He was a bear of man, with broad shoulders, dark skin, and white hair. He carried a smile that didn't warm his eyes, and his hands, when he shook Crwys's, were clammy and moist. Crwys wasn't sure if that was just how they were, or if the guy was nervous about being around him. Cosgrove knew what Crwys was, something that didn't make the Dragon very happy.

  "Detective. Please forgive me." He folded his arms over his chest. "I hate that we're seeing each other again under such dire circumstances."

  "Dire?" Crwys stopped and fixed the man with a less-than-friendly stare. He could hear the unasked questions circulating in Cosgrove's mind. Since first meeting the High Witch at Gypsy Gardens, Arden's plantation in the bayou, Crwys had felt an overwhelming sense of unease. He saw greed and power circling in Cosgrove's eyes when he looked into them, and every time they happened to cross paths, the Witch reminded Crwys of his request to sit down and have a long talk. As far as Crwys was concerned, there would never be a talk with this man. And if he ever did agree to it, the decision would be against his better judgment. "There's nothing dire here. We just have to talk to Sam and find out what happened."

  "I already told you what happened," Emily Pearson spoke up as she approached, a coffee cup in her hand. "Sam didn't obey protocol and screwed everything up. She even destroyed the knife."

  "Sam didn't screw anything up," Dharma said from where she stood near the counter. "She told you something was wrong, and you insisted on going into that house on your own."

  "She did not warn me of anything."

  "You freak'n liar! I told you what Sam said, and your response was you didn't believe her."

  "I don't remember that."

  "Of course you don't." Dharma approached Emily and pretty much violated her personal space. "You've been on Sam's back since she was given this opportunity, and instead of helping, you've done nothing but harass, disrupt, and insult her. If anyone's been screwing up, it's you!" Dharma pointed a finger in the woman's face.

  Emily faced Cosgrove. "You're going to allow her to talk to me this way?"

  Crwys glanced at Cosgrove, who showed no signs of breaking up the heated…discussion. The larger man said, "Miss Pearson, one of our own is injured. She happens to be a personal friend of Miss Parande, and she is also our most powerful Witch. Miss Vervain already informed me that Miss Hawthorne was in charge of this particular investigation, and if Miss Hawthorne did indeed warn you not to go inside, it was your duty to listen and obey. So for now, write up your report just as Miss Parande already did, and hand it in to Miss Delacroix." He'd kept his tone even, calming, and said it with a gentle smile on his face. "And for future reference, please don't talk about Cleric procedures in a Cowen place of business."

  Emily Pearson turned a bright red, and Crwys winced, fearing she was going to explode. But she turned and walked away. She didn't leave the building, but she kept herself distanced from everyone else.

  Crwys heard the heavy pounding of sneakers and turned to see Ivan Westerfield and Kyle Kendrick running down the hall to the waiting area. Kyle looked pink-cheeked and robust as he caught his breath. Ivan bent forward, hands on his knees, as he coughed.

  "Ivan?" Levi approached the tall, thin Cyber Witch and put a hand on his back. "You gonna be all right?"

  Dharma appeared next to Ivan and put her hand on his upper arm. "You know these computer ge
eks. All brain, no brawn, and no exercise," she said, and from the look on Ivan's face, Crwys assumed this was an old argument.

  "Can't…stop…oy… How's Sam?" he finally managed as he straightened and pulled Dharma close to him.

  "More to the point," Kyle said with a much less winded voice, "what the hell happened? We all felt it. Even Jack through his pack link."

  Crwys swore under his breath. If Jack felt Sam's pain that meant someone else had felt it—

  The elevator opened to his right. Bastien Dante LeBlanc, Aces pack leader, stepped out of the elevator, followed closely by his Beta, Ben. The two were so diversely different. Bastien was tall, and broad shouldered, with shoulder-length red hair that occasionally fell over his golden eyes. Ben was more salt and pepper, older, with a much more mellow air about him. Crwys hated seeing the two of them there, not because he disliked Werewolves, but because Bastien had claimed Sam as his own and swore to never mate unless he could have her.

  And given the fact Crwys had made sure to put a ring on Sam's finger as soon as he could, that just wasn't gonna happen. He thought after all that'd happened, and knowing Sam had chosen him, that Bastien would get the hint.

  Apparently not. "What're you doing here?" he growled at the two wolves.

  "You are not the only one who feels her heart, diable," Bastien said in his Acadian accent.

  "Chien."

  "Monstre."

  Kyle held up his hands. "Stop. Now. We're not here to act like three year olds and call each other names in French."

  Ivan turned to face Bastien and offered him his hand. Crwys sensed Ivan felt he owed the wolf a debt of gratitude for saving his life once. "It's good to see you, but you have to admit it's been months. You being here is a bit…unexpected."

  "Oui. But I could not ignore the pain." He pointed to Emily, who'd wandered close and couldn't seem to blink or take her eyes off of Bastien. "You there. La grande une femme—tell me what has happened."

  She actually blushed and put her hands to her bosom. Crwys didn't suppress the half-smirk that pulled at his lips. Apparently Emily Pearson didn't speak French or she'd know he called her a big lady.

  "Well, we, as in the Clerics, got this call about zombies two nights ago—"

  "Zombies?" Ben spoke up.

  Kyle and Ivan looked at Crwys, but he shrugged and pointed at Emily. He'd already heard the story.

  "Yes, zombies." Emily nodded as she spoke. "Some of our group found two of them—actual decomposing corpses. They were hideous, so in order to make sure these weren't those nasty things that Vampires make—"

  Levi cleared his throat.

  Emily frowned at him, and it was obvious she didn't realize Levi was one of those Vampires. "And they weren't."

  "Get to the point," Kyle cut her off.

  Emily straightened up, her fascination with Bastien forgotten now that Kyle had bruised her feelings. "Well, we were sent to this house to look for any magic. And of course Samantha insisted there wasn't magic. Lot of good her being an Elemental Witch did us, because those three boys were in there chanting around an altar!"

  "Chanting doesn't make magic," Kyle said. "And magic doesn't always require a chant. Keep going."

  She narrowed her eyes at him. "There were three boys on the floor, and one of them was holding up this knife, then there was a lot of noise, and I was shoved back by something. When I got back up, Sam was on the floor moaning and carrying on, all doubled up like someone kicked her in the gut. The knife was gone, and the boys were all unconscious." Emily nodded. "See? She screwed it up."

  "Emily," Cosgrove said without moving from where he stood. She turned to look at him. "Consider this a second warning."

  Emily went crimson and stepped away.

  Crwys leaned against the wall as his own memories flipped back to a time in his past. He'd been newly made into a Drachen. Still trying to understand his power, his limitations and hadn't yet figured out how to make a human body. All of his attempts had ended in him being shifted into something…hideous.

  It was the old Magi's apprentice back then that reminded him of Emily, the one that enjoyed pointing out Crwys's faults, his lack of control, and his inability to fit in. Crwys had been confined to the lower levels of his mother's palace so he wouldn't frighten the other deities who visited from time to time. But his mother never missed a night to visit him and take him into her arms, lavishing her affections with her true form. Gaia loved her children, and she loved her youngest, her Apollo, most of all. So when he accidentally set the Magi's apprentice on fire, she forgave him with a stern warning.

  "Crwys?"

  She introduced him to another Drachen, a female his mother had made a century before. Her name was Lethe and she had been one of his mother's high priestesses. He knew his mother wanted Lethe to be his companion, to ease his loneliness, and he did try to love Lethe but never really could. It was Lethe that understood the principles of magic, having studied them as a priestess, and helped him perfect the spell to give him human form. Once he could maintain the shape, his mother brought him from the darkness into the light, and his beauty made the crowds cheer in adoration while others like Lethe were left in the shadows and denied the light of day.

  "Crwys!"

  The sound of his present name shattered those vivid memories as he nearly lost his perch against the wall and looked into the soft gold eyes of Levi Tulose. His eyes flashed black as the Vampire's Demon stepped forward and put a hand on Crwys's arm. "Hey…you in there?"

  Crwys answered in a soft voice, in Sumerian. "Yeah I was just…remembering something."

  Levi glanced behind them. Crwys looked past him to see Kyle and Ivan sitting on one of the couches while Dharma spoke in the corner with Bastien and Ben. Emily Pearson had commandeered a lone chair near the front counter, and Martin Cosgrove stood nearby, watching a little too intently.

  Why are you speaking in Sumerian? came Ashur's voice in Crwys's head. Not many could hear the Demons inside their hosts, unless the Demons wanted to be heard. It was that voice that first drew Crwys to Ashur…how many centuries ago?

  "Oh, I…" Crwys said in English, aloud. "Sorry." Then he thought, How long was I daydreaming?

  A good ten minutes. You missed the little shakedown Arden gave Emily and Cosgrove.

  Arden's here? He stepped away from Levi and looked around the room.

  She's in the back with Sam.

  "What?" Crwys didn't hold back on his volume or his anger. Arden had been allowed to visit Sam, and he had been blocked? "But she's my fiancée."

  Levi put both hands on Crwys's chest. Get a freak'n grip, bro. She said as soon as she could, she'd…

  Ashur's thoughts stopped, and Crwys knitted his brows together as he felt a growing discomfort as Levi's eyes became fully black. Ashur, you're showing.

  So are you. Levi leaned in close and sniffed. You said you just had a memory surface. Was it a memory or a genesis?

  "I had a—" But then he stopped as he recalled the memory. Memories for Dragons were painted in hues of grays, monochromatic images stored in their vast minds but often kept in simple patterns to conserve space. But this memory, the one of him killing the Magi's apprentice in the dungeon, the laughter of Lethe, and the love of his long dead mother, had been in vivid color. He'd smelled the cave's incense and tasted the acidic char of fire on his tongue, something he'd grown accustomed to as a Drachen, but during those first months, it was a taste that made him ill.

  It…it was a genesis. He swallowed as he raked his fingers through the longer shock of hair over his eyes. When he refocused on Levi, he understood the Vampire's abrupt worry. It was a genesis memory. Ashur…it's not time. It can't be time yet.

  No, it's not. I figured you had another hundred, maybe two hundred years or so left. But I can't remember you having a genesis and it not being the first sign. That and the smell.

  The scent of brimstone. Of smoke and ash. Ashur could smell it because of his Demon's senses enhancing the host's. But if this was
the first sign of what Crwys feared was approaching, it wouldn't be long before everyone could smell it.

  Now let's not panic. Not yet. You've been through a few traumatic events. Being shot with that arrow, the Faeries bleeding you dry, and let's not forget having Arcane stuffed in your head.

  "Excuse me," came a deep voice behind Levi. Both cops looked at Cosgrove as he approached them, his hands clasped at his chest. "Is there a problem? Anything I can help with?"

  "No," Crwys said at the same time Levi did. Crwys just hoped Ashur had retreated enough so that Cosgrove didn't see the black eyes. "Just police business."

  "I see. Well," he glanced back at Bastien and Ben before hitting Crwys up with a concerned expression. Was Cosgrove worried about the wolves being in the hospital? But then he focused that concern on Crwys. "Detective, are you feeling okay? You look a bit pale and I notice you keep standing with your eyes closed."

  "I do?" That comment took him back a few steps. "I ah…no. I'm fine. Maybe a little tired since we're understaffed. No need for concern about my welfare."

  "I see. Well, if I can help in any way—if the Clerics can help with anything—please, don't hesitate to contact me." He reached into his pocket and handed Crwys a card. The third one in five months. "I would very much like to set up a meeting with you, Detective Holliard. I've never spoken to…" he lowered his voice, "a Titan before."

  And you never will, Crwys thought and heard Ashur's echoing sentiment. Crwys managed a smile as he tucked the card into the back pocket of his jeans just as the double doors burst open and Arden appeared, followed by a nurse.

  The nurse moved in front of Arden and said, "Is there a Cruise Holland here?"

  Arden snorted. "Crwys Holl-i-yard." She spotted Crwys and waved at him to follow her. "Come on, Flamethrower. We've got a problem."

  "Arden?" Cosgrove said in a voice that told Crwys he'd expected to be invited back as well as or in place of Crwys.

  But Arden smiled and shook her head. "Sorry, hon, but this is woman stuff."