soulofawitch_463-9e1.htm

by Soul Of A Witch (lit)

  Jerked up into the air, Beulah felt herself spun around before being slammed into a wall and held pinned up high against it. Pain radiated down her back, and inside her anger flickered. Anger and something else, something she’d not ever felt.

  "You see, Beulah, I have almost found out the way to suck the empathy from Wes’s spirit." Hortra gestured with his other hand to the heavy tomes laying on a nearby table. "It won’t be long and I’ll suck him dry. You I shall have, too. Your powers, though puny, will be of use to me some way. And then there’s Aria, my sweet little sister. She I will use to spread my control." Angling his head to the side, he gave Beulah a mocking look. "If you’re nice to me, Beulah, I may be nice to you."

  Thunder boomed distantly. Taking deep breaths, Beulah closed her eyes and slumped her head onto her chest. Giving the illusion of weakening, she was mentally strengthening herself.

  "Don’t try to trick me, Beulah." Sounding bored at first, Hortra snarled, "Don’t trick me! Ever!"

  Releasing her, he flung back one hand and threw a fireball at her. The precious seconds she’d gained lent her strength, and she flung up one hand and sent it spiralling back into Hortra.

  He absorbed it easily, snapping his head up to snarl at her. His eyes started to glow dull red, and raising both hands, he sent another arc of red lightning at her.

  Moving quickly, Beulah dodged it, using the golden light to deflect it yet again. This time he sent more, arcing the lightning over and around her, flinging fireballs, until it formed into one solid, roaring, thick line of red hot light.

  Using her shield, she pushed back, stopping the red energy from entering her again. She felt his strength as he stepped forward, forcing her to step back. Bracing herself, she found her feet sliding on the cold stone floor, and suddenly she was through the window and out on a stone walkway. The sky was grey above her, thin flashes of lightning snaking through the sky. Rain drizzled, then stopped suddenly, and a chill wind snapped her skirt around her ankles.

  Opening his mouth, Hortra roared out her name, and it echoed with blistering force in the very air around her. Coming out onto the stone walkway, he swept his other hand downwards and pointed.

  "See your lover’s ship, witch? See your lover preparing to leave the sanctum of the protective force you put around his ship? See him staring up here?"

  She didn’t dare look, didn’t dare take her concentration from the dark power he was forcing against her. But her heart tripped, and she had to bite back the fear that threatened to fill her. After all her warnings to Sinya, she couldn’t now let Hortra use the same techniques on her.

  "Let me show you my true power, my dear." Hortra’s voice had hallowed, echoing around her. "Let me show you the power of true evil. Let me prove my power by killing your lover."

  Keeping his energy against Beulah, he slowly swung one hand outwards and simply pointed down. Red energy crackled from his fingers and soared downwards. It splintered rock, the sound clearly audible, and she heard the sudden cries of men.

  "No!" She couldn’t help it, her fear for Sinya making her glance down to see the small figures of men running from the stones that shattered off the walls of the hills to rain down around them.

  "I can toy with them for as long as I wish, my dear." Hortra’s smile was cold, harshly amused. "And as I toy with them, so I toy with you. You really thought I’d killed him then, didn’t you? The brother of Wes, your pirate. But I will kill him, my dear. I will kill him."

  Staring into his eyes, seeing the hellish red glow in them, Beulah tasted her first real fear. Throughout the long journey, she’d not feared dying by Hortra’s hand. She’d not feared him in the spiritual world. She’d not feared him in the flesh. She didn’t even fear his cruelty.

  But she had a weakness. In her self-assurity, she had one big weakness she’d overlooked.

  Sinya.

  "Ah, you see now." Hortra smiled, and smoke drifted from his lips in a thin spiral. "You shouldn’t love someone, Beulah. Love is weak, it makes you commit mistakes. Sinya is your weakness. You thought it was the boy, didn’t you?"

  Gesturing with his free hand, he brought forth the boiling black cloud that imprisoned Wes. Leaving it hovering in the window, he looked at Beulah. "You would die for Wes, and you would die for Sinya. What you can’t handle, is that they die in your stead. Isn’t that so?"

  Alarm spread through her, for now she could see what he was planning. While Sinya stayed in the shelter of her protective light around the ship, he was safe. But once he left the shelter, he was prey for Hortra.

  "You won’t harm Wes," she said, sure of it. "You want his powers too much."

  "True. But his anguish as he watches me destroy his brother will be a balm to my soul. If I had one." He snapped his fingers, and the black cloud faded until it was pale grey, light enough for Beulah to see Wes’s soul shimmering inside it. "Watch me kill your brother, boy."

  "No!" Beulah pushed forward, seeking to unbalance Hortra.

  He held his ground easily. "Watch and learn, witch-woman."

  Turning his face downward, he opened his mouth, and black smoke hardened into a long, sharp-pointed spear of shimmering black razors, sharp and precise. Sucking in his breath, he blew. The spear flew earthward, the razors spinning free to sail with deadly intent to the pirates below.

  Helpless anger shafted through Beulah. Fury and impotent rage tore through her, fear for her lover’s life overriding her awareness, and the boiling little bud inside her burst forth. The pain in her side ripped free with blinding force in a shower of midnight blue sparks, glittering in a flow of brilliant flames that poured upward.

  Shocked, Hortra stumbled back.

  She felt it boil through her, her emotions tearing free and surging upward higher and higher. Hate fought with fury, love fought with hate. Hurt battled love. Everything that was good in her burned ferociously, and everything she’d suppressed, had never actually thought she possessed, flowed through every emotion she’d nurtured.

  The midnight blue flames engulfed her, surrounded her, burned every emotion away to leave nothing but the desire to destroy.

  ~ * ~

  "Doesn’t seem to be any waiting party for us." Ephim narrowed his eyes, scanning his surroundings.

  "There’s a fight going on up there," Sinya stated. "I recognize those lightning--things."

  "Right." Ephim gave him an odd look. "Right."

  "Never mind. Beulah’s up there, and that’s where I’m heading. If she’s there, then Wes must be close by to her." Sinya jerked his thumb back towards the ship. "Get every member of the crew down here."

  Ephim hurriedly obeyed, and within minutes the survivors of his crew stood before him, except for the badly injured one, who was left in his cabin.

  "I’m going in after Wes and Beulah," Sinya stated. "It’s your choice to come or not."

  "Well, of course we’ll come," Beli answered.

  "You don’t understand. Hell, I don’t understand properly. What we face may not be normal--"

  "Nothing’s been normal on this trip," Franc sighed. "And yet, here we are, ready to follow you. Again."

  Sinya looked soberly at them all. "We may not walk away from this, friends. You’ve been loyal all the way. This may be your last chance--"

  "For the love of God!" Ralfis rolled his eyes. "Who’s going with Sinya, and who is staying?"

  Every hand shot up in the air, accompanied by loud "Aye, aye!"

  "Fixed!" Ralfis cast a stern eye on Sinya. "Let’s go."

  He had to swallow the lump in his throat, and would have said something more, but Ralfis narrowed his gaze warningly. So instead, Sinya nodded to him, and started to move out of the shelter of the ramp.

  The unknown ship that had come to their assistance landed before them in a swirl of dust that had them all coughing and shielding their eyes.

  "Stupid bastards!’ Drake choked. "Now I’m filthy!"

  "Stop your whining," Ephim growled.

  Warily they watched as a do
or slid open, then they gaped as a woman stepped down. Robed, a heavy veil covering the lower half of her face, she stood straight and tall, an air of mystery and calmness about her.

  "Witch," Drake pronounced, spat, and stamped his feet twice.

  France glared at him. "Dirty bastard."

  Sinya nodded slowly to the woman. "It seems we owe you our gratitude. You came to our assistance."

  "Some things just need to be done." The woman inclined her head. "And what you are about to do is extremely hazardous."

  "What?"

  "When you leave the spaceship, you leave Beulah’s protective circle. You and your men will be unprotected against the forces of darkness that Hortra keeps around here."

  Plunging his hand into his pocket, Drake drew forth a salt shaker and sprinkled the contents liberally around himself.

  "I need to get to the fortress, protective circle or not." Sinya regarded her steadily. "Are you a witch?"

  "Some say so." Her eyes crinkled a little at the corners in amusement. "Some say worse."

  "No one would dare say worse," a voice grunted behind her, and a man dropped from the doorway to the ground beside her.

  "God almighty!" Ralfis yelled. "Bounty hunter!"

  Lasers whining in preparation of arming sounded loud in the air. The rasp of swords and daggers being yanked from sheaths joined the whining.

  "Cormac?" Sinya stared at him. "What the hell...?"

  "Don’t worry, pirate, assisting you was not my idea." Cold grey eyes raked over the pirates contemptuously before settling on Sinya. "I’d sooner leave you scum to get destroyed, but Learta has other ideas."

  "And you always do as I ask, don’t you?" Leaning back against him, Learta smiled up at him.

  "You don’t ask. You just go ahead and do it, and I’m forced to follow to protect your fool hide."

  Still with her back to him, Learta reached up and patted his cheek lovingly, while keeping her gaze on Sinya. "I owe Beulah a debt, but in this fight between her and Hortra I cannot interfere."

  "Then why are you here?" He knew he sounded harsh, but Sinya couldn’t help it. His worry for Wes and Beulah was starting to wear on his patience.

  "I can protect you."

  "Us?"

  "If you’re so intent on entering Hortra’s fortress, then it means leaving the protection Beulah has placed around your ship. I can provide a protective barrier around you and your men while you travel to the fortress and enter it."

  "That’s all?" Beli asked, disappointed. "No hocus-pocus, and we’re in there?"

  "It doesn’t work like that," she replied.

  "Just be grateful you’re getting anything," Cormac growled.

  "I’d heard you’d given up the bounty hunter trade." Beli eyed him narrowly. "This must really blow your mind, helping us."

  "I’m helping Learta, not you, pirate." Cormac informed him coldly.

  "And you do a good job of it, mi debar." Learta took his hand in hers, while watching Sinya. "So, Sinya, will you accept my offer of assistance?"

  Sinya took a deep breath, then finally nodded. "Very well. If you know Beulah, then I guess we can trust you."

  "You sure about her?" Drake asked dubiously.

  "I’m not too sure of anything right now, Drake, except that Beulah is in the middle of God knows what kind of fight--"

  "Mystical," Drake supplied, spat, and stamped both feet.

  "Yes. Mystical. Cormac is not on Hortra’s side, that’d be too much even for him." Sinya gave the ex-bounty hunter a sharp nod. "And he saved our hides up in space. So I guess we can trust Learta."

  "This is good," Learta said. "Step away from the ship, and I will place my protective barrier around you all."

  They did as bidden, and in that second they were out of Beulah’s protective light, they heard a crack and, looking up, saw a shower of heavy boulders raining down from above.

  Yelling, they scattered. Learta quickly raised her hands, and the boulders, instead of smashing down on the pirates, bounced off an invisible shield and hit the ground further away.

  Shakily, the pirates drew together and stared at her.

  "Right." Drake cleared his throat. "Let’s get this shield going, huh?"

  Franc rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t hide the tremble of his hands.

  Sinya nodded at Learta. "I accept your offer."

  Nodding, Learta gestured slowly with her hand, making a circular motion, then nodded. "It is done."

  "That’s it?" Drake sounded disappointed.

  "Not mystical enough for you?" Franc growled.

  "Never mind that." Sinya turned and faced the men. "Let’s get moving--"

  His words broke off as razors the size of axe heads ricocheted off the protective barrier. He couldn’t see the barrier, but knowing it was there, and having proof of it, was a real comfort.

  "Shit!" Ralfis looked up, startled, then his mouth dropped open. "By the suns of Coxyn... Sinya!"

  Sinya looked up, as did his crew. What he saw made him stare in mingled horror and disbelief.

  Two figures stood out on a stone walkway high above the ground. One was undoubtedly Hortra, for it was male, with a red, flapping cloak. Behind him in the window was a dull grey shape, like a cloud. But it was the other figure that made his breath catch in his throat.

  He knew it was Beulah. Knew it just before blue flame, so dark as to be midnight blue, engulfed her.

  "Beulah!" He cried.

  "Stay!" Learta ordered him sharply. "Don’t move yet!"

  "What’s going on?" He looked wildly at Learta. "He’s killing her!"

  "No, he’s not. I can feel his bafflement from here. Something’s happening with Beulah that’s not of his doing." Learta touched Sinya’s forehead. "Feel and see."

  Almost immediately, Sinya felt as though he were standing beside the walkway, although he knew he wasn’t. He could see every expression on Hortra’s face, and Beulah’s as well. Behind Hortra he knew that Wes’s soul shimmered in the greyness.

  "What is this?" Hortra moved back another step. "Beulah? What trickery is this?"

  The midnight-blue flame flared, grew, then burst in a blaze of heat and writhing tongues of flame. Shards of glittering blue, paler in the centre, shadowed the outline of a woman. Of Beulah. And suddenly she appeared in the blue fire. Her eyes burned with unholy blackness, the splintering stars whirling in her eyes. Spreading her arms wide, she opened her mouth and screamed.

  It echoed across the mountains, making the very foundations of the rocks tremble. Carrion eaters screeched in the sky, and Sinya had to clap his hands over his ears against the loudness.

  Hortra threw a fireball into the midst of Beulah’s form, only to watch it be absorbed, and hear her mocking laugh.

  "You thought you were the only one with any power, Hortra." Her voice was deep, and sent chills down Sinya’s spine. "The power of evil is not yours alone."

  Red cloak flapping around his legs, Hortra summoned his red lightning, only to see it go straight through her. "What are you? A Demoness?" He stumbled back several feet, but a sheer blue wall of fire appeared behind him, effectively cutting him off from the window.

  "Think to escape me, Hortra? Do you not know me?"

  "You are Beulah, the witch-woman!" He ground his teeth in rage. "You are not this powerful! What hellish dimension have you tapped into?"

  "I give to you, what you gave to me. And I take what is mine, and give back to you." Opening her mouth, blue light shone forth from her throat, and speared upward. "Do you fear me, Hortra?"

  "No!" Furious, he jumped suddenly.

  Sinya was shocked, expecting him to smash to the rocks below them. Instead, Hortra’s drop halted centimetres above ground.

  Looking back up, Sinya found himself eye level with Beulah--but it was a Beulah he didn’t know. Her entire eyes were black, stars bursting within the mystical depth, and blue light burned around her. Pure energy poured from her in flaming tongues of midnight blue. Her white hair crackled with fire, swirli
ng around her in a white cloak tinged with pale and deep blue.

  She stared at him, unmoving.

  "Beulah," he said softly, uncertainly.

  She dropped away from him, by the simple act of stepping backwards off the walkway. Looking down, he saw her drop to the ground below, coming to a halt several feet from where Hortra stood.

  At the sight of Beulah, Hortra clapped his hands sharply together. "Let’s see you fight my hounds, witch! Let’s see you fight my demon hounds!"

  From behind him materialized three huge hounds, each easily twenty feet high, baying eerily. Saliva ran between their glistening teeth as they snarled, but at the sight of Beulah, they started howling, lifting their heads and screaming at the skies.

  Overhead the clouds swirled, and lightning spilt the sky. The sky grew darker, laying an eerie greyness over the scene. Beulah burned midnight blue, almost as though materializing herself out of the darkness, while Hortra glowed red, not one with his surroundings.

  "Damn you!" Hortra shook his fist at her.

  She laughed tauntingly, mockingly, throwing back her head, her laughter as eerie as the howling of the demon hounds.

  "I release my spirits, witch!" Hortra swore savagely. "My entities! I will destroy you!"

  From the fortress behind him came the sound of marching feet. Hundreds of marching feet, that grew louder. Sinya saw, in the distance, his crew shifting uneasily. Learta stood silent, slightly apart from them, Cormac behind her with his hands on her shoulders. He saw himself, and blinked. He was still in his own body, it was just that his perception had changed, so that he saw and heard as though beside them. He had to remind himself of it, turning his head to catch Learta’s knowing gaze.

  She nodded to him.

  He returned his attention to the two glowing figures, and what he saw made his blood run cold.

  The heavy doors of the fortress blew open, slamming back against the stone walls. From the black tunnel came wraiths, ghosts of soldiers long dead. Their armour was ghostly, their swords flaming swords of red fire. They turned as one, marching forward, their footsteps loud in the stillness.

  "Shit." Ralfis gulped. "Oh, shit."