Black Moon Rising (DarkLife Saga)

by Ronnie Massey

  By the time Carrie hit the ground more than three hundred feet away, Fazion and his Manticores had joined us. “Hurry up, we don’t have much time,” I said as I lifted my arm and tapped into the fae within. I felt the shield forming and pushing away from me. I looked to my right. Everyone that was capable formed a circle around the others and was pushing their energy into the growing barrier.

  “Bravo,” an empty voice called out. “Not many can claim to have lived as long as you, when going up against a Harbinger, one with a partner, no less.” The Banshee clapped her hands as she strolled into the clearing.

  “What can I say, I’m smarter than the average bear,” I spat.

  “I’m not sure what that means, but I doubt it,” the Banshee frowned. “I’ve been watching you and you have no reason or rhyme to your strategy. Whereas before I thought you a worthy opponent, I see now that I was wrong. Your continued existence is strictly a case of sheer, dumb-luck…luck that is about to run out.”

  “The Fomori princess has proven she’s not an easy kill,” Fazion called out. “Have you stopped to think that maybe the Fates aren’t ready for her to die? End this fruitless quest and go back to the FaeLands.”

  The Banshee walked up to our barrier and ran a finger across it. The invisible wall shuddered with her energy. “Oh, I’ve thought about it and come to the conclusion that if the Fates want her to live, then they would come and save her.”

  She stepped back, joining Carrie, and pointed a finger at the trees beside us. “I may not be able to get through, but I know something that can.” She puckered up her lips and began to wail. It was a high-pitched sound that stunned the wolves. Marcus whined and tried to cover his ears with his paws. One by one I watched his wolves fall, until they all were writhing in pain.

  “What’s she doing?” I asked no one in particular. It was Stryfe that answered.

  “Calling the barghest, I’d say she plans to use them against us.”

  “It’s a good thing they’re out there and we’re in here,” Constantine said. “Between all the bodies and the statue, we don’t have room to fight.”

  “Get ready to defend yourselves,” Stryfe replied. “Here comes one and I’m almost certain that we can’t keep it out.”

  “What are you talking about,” I croaked as I watched the demon dog emerge from the trees, running as fast as it could.

  “It can get inside,” he yelled, as the barghest ran through the shield like it wasn’t even there.

  “How in the hell is this possible? I thought nothing could get through these barriers?” I asked as I watched the animal charge our circle. “Barghest are lower fae,” Fazion answered, “The same rules don’t apply when we’re dealing with underlings.”

  A vicious crunch echoed through the air as a pair of wolves dispatched the. “So what does that mean?” I yelled. But as the words left my lips, I remembered how easy it was for Kether to fly through the barrier in Fazion's throne room. Crap.

  “It means I’ll turn your trap against you, again,” the Harbinger laughed. The Banshee smiled at the wounded foawr and Constantine cursed.

  “You have got to be shitting me,” he spat, as she turned her wail on the giant. The lumbering fae bellowed, and swung its arms blindly through the air, trying to defend itself against the invisible attack. We looked on as the Banshee hit it with blow after blow, driving the creature in our direction.

  “She’s going to use the beast to break our concentration,” Irulan offered.

  “If the creature breaches our circle the vampires and wolves will take care of it,” Fazion grunted. “But we must not break the barrier. It’s the only thing keeping us alive.”

  The Banshee changed pitch, and the foawr’s ears began to bleed. The now helpless creature began to moan. It staggered toward us as it raked its fingers across the useless organs. Nothing deserved to die like that. “I can’t stand by and watch this. I’ve got to do something,” I whispered.

  “The foawr can’t be saved, but we can,” Fazion growled. “We need your energy, Valeria.”

  “For what it’s worth, it won’t suffer for long,” Irulan tried to comfort me but it wasn’t working. Tears gathered in my eyes as I watched the Banshee hammer the giant. Its massive legs began to tremble as it tried to stay upright against the assault. It was a losing battle.

  The foawr stumbled through our barrier and stretched its face, giving me a final glimpse of its unusual eyes. Then it began to fall…right toward the globe.

  “Shittin-ass, son-of-a-bitch,” I yelled, because that’s all I could do. As much as I wanted to let go and try to stop the foawr, I didn’t budge. They needed my energy. I was forced to watch him fall, crushing the globe, and our plan, underneath his massive body.

  “They can’t keep this up for much longer, Val,” Constantine yelled. “And the Manticores aren’t going to be worth a shit in a fight.”

  “Agreed, we need to get out of here and regroup,” I said shouting over a clap of thunder.

  “Look around you, Val, the weather is getting worse and the temperature has dropped even more. We don’t have time to leave and regroup,” Irulan yelled, “The Winter King is close. We have to end this soon.”

  “What do you want me to do? Every plan that I’ve come up with has failed miserably.

  “Duck,” Irulan yelled. The body of a barghest flew over us, followed by a pouncing werewolf. I shook my head and glanced at our group. What were we supposed to do when we couldn’t even drop our shields for fear of getting blown to kingdom come?

  “There’s too much going on, Ire. How are we supposed to fight her in all this?”

  “We don’t fight her here. We go somewhere else and make your plan work,” she projected.

  “You say that like we can just snap our fingers and teleport, Ire.”

  “Maybe we can.” Ire nodded her head at the last remaining doorway a few feet away. “That doorway is fed by my magic. I think I can change where it opens.”

  Thinking and knowing are two different things. I wasn’t sure if I wanted Ire casting untried spells. Not after the debacle with the summoning spell. “Think and can are two different things, Ire,” I said. “If you’re not sure, then-“

  Lightning flashed in Irulan’s eyes. “Don’t do that. Tonight could have happened to anybody. The spell was a long-shot at best.”

  I sighed and closed my eyes, taking a second before responding. “You know what we need to trap her. Find it.”

  “Alright everyone,” I called out, “Ire’s got a plan. When she gives the word, I want the vampires and wolves go through the doorway. Fae, you follow. I’ll hold the shield until everyone is through, and follow.”

  “The odds of you maintaining the barrier alone are very slim,” Stryfe said. “Not while the Harbinger is bombarding it with her energy.”

  “Whatever you're planning won’t work,” she smirked.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I answered, wondering if the woman was suddenly a mind reader.

  “I see the look in everyone’s eyes as they look to you and your fae wife. You are planning another ill attempt at my demise. You will fail.”

  “Fuck you sideways,” I growled.

  “Val, I’ve think I’ve got it,” Ire interrupted. Perfect timing, I smiled at the Banshee and tipped my head at the portal.

  “I hate to talk shit and run, but I’ve got travel plans.” I offered, “Everyone through the portal.”

  My brothers led the wolves and our vampires toward the glowing door and the Banshee screamed. “Coward,” she screeched. “Face me now, or die a thousand times when I catch you!”

  “And the Oscar for most dramatic performance goes to, the bitch with the powerful breath,” I laughed. “Alright, Fazion, get Irulan and your Manticores out of here.”

  Ire took a step in my direction, but I stopped her. “Ire, I’ll be right behind you.”

  The Manticores dropped their hands, and the force of maintaining the shield felt like it was going to te
ar me apart. I clenched my teeth, ignoring the strain, and poured more energy into the barrier.

  “You don’t look well, vampire,” the Banshee sighed. “Give up now and I’ll make sure your death is quick. You know you’ll never be able to keep the shield intact long enough to reach the portal.”

  “You don’t know shit,” I gasped. “And you’ve proven it time and time again. Coming here fucking with my family was a mistake. ”

  The harbinger tilted her head to one side and frowned. “Are all leeches, overconfident and misguided?”

  I hated to play the ‘my grandpa is gonna get you’ card, but it was all I had at the moment. “Say what you want, but a move against us is a move against the Dark Court. They’re not happy with you.”

  “I have no need to fear the Dark Court. It was them who helped birth me and gave me reason; to punish you for your crimes.”

  “Newsflash, sister, those kings lied to you, and now they’re dead. They’re dead and buried, and replaced with my uncles. FaeVar is coming here to kill you for their treachery…no, correction, the Winter King is coming to kill you.”

  The Banshee’s eyes filled with fear and I had to fight to keep from smiliing. So what if we were trying to stop him from coming, she didn’t need to know that. I took a small step toward her and frowned.

  “You should have left us alone, now you’re going to pay with your life.”

  “Lies,” she spat. “There has been no Winter King since the Great Divide. The old kings swore-”

  “FaeVar isn’t one of the old kings. You backed us into a wall and we’ll do whatever it takes to keep breathing.”

  She sighed and looked back at Carrie. “I can’t feel the FaeLands in this form. Is what she says, true?” She asked.

  “Look around you,” I yelled, “there’s your answer. The world is trying to adjust to the power shift, and from the looks of it, not that well.”

  “Val, baby it’s me,” Irulan projected, “We’ve got everyone searching for a location. Marcus is clearing the humans as we speak. Can you get them to follow you?”

  “That’s debatable. Either the Banshee is mad enough to chase me to the ends of the earth, or so terrified that she’s gonna take the first train smoking back to the FaeLands.”

  “What did you do-no, don’t answer that. Just make sure she’s on your tail.”

  Right, I sighed and flashed a hundred watt smile at Carrie and the Harbinger. This situation called for a little dissention among the ranks. “That was my grandfather,” I lied, grateful that the ability to not do so wasn’t passed down to me. “He’d like to thank you personally, Carrie, for your help in drawing him to this realm. Without the spelled locket he gave you, he would never have found us in time.” I said.

  “What!” The Banshee screamed as she whirled around to face Carrie. “You would dare betray me?”

  “She’s lying,” Carrie countered, “just like she’s lying about the Winter King. She’ll do anything to save herself!”

  I shrugged a shoulder and flapped my wings. “I’m part fae, or have you forgotten? I can’t lie. But if you don’t believe me check her pocket. I’m sure you’ll find the locket.” The words left my lips and I prayed that my hunch was right. If Ire still kept her painting of Carrie, odds were that she had something similar. A locket made sense. It was small and easily hidden.

  “Empty them,” the Banshee ordered.

  “This means nothing,” Carrie spat as she slid a hand into her shirt and pulled out the silver pendant. “I would never betray you.”

  “Your life is forfeit,” the Banshee growled, and reached for her sword as she took a step toward Carrie.

  “You can’t be serious,” Carrie replied and lifted a hand. “You’ll never get near me with that sword. Put it away and think about what you’re doing.”

  Bingo, mission accomplished. Turning them against each other was almost too easy. But with one dud plan after another, who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth. I dropped my shield and threw a bubble of energy at Carrie.

  “Hate to be a party pooper, but I need her alive, what with gramps wanting to see her and all.” I snapped my wings forward and flew backward, dragging Carrie along for the ride. The Banshee didn’t hesitate and unleashed a wail so strong that it uprooted small trees. I jerked, pulling Carrie in her protective bubble, in front of me. The blast shoved Carrie into me and carried us both through the portal faster than I intended.

  I flew through the doorway and hit the ground hard enough to knock a tooth loose. I heard the thump of another body and groaned. That would be Carrie. I rolled to a stop, clutching my throbbing jaw and shaking a hand at the portal. “Ire!”

  Irulan and Constantine were at my side, pulling me to feet before I could finish my sentence. “Close it, close the portal,” I managed to choke out as I tried to catch my breath.

  “But what about?” Constantine started, but I pushed him away from me and grabbed Irulan by the shoulders.

  “Trust me; she’s plenty pissed enough to find us without the portal. We need to find somewhere to set up.” Irulan lifted a hand and the blinding light disappeared.

  “There, it’s done.”

  “You’re prolonging the inevitable,” Carrie grunted as she climbed to her feet. “You can’t change the course of destiny, no matter how hard you try…Isn’t that right, Irulan.”

  I pushed Irulan behind me and spun around to face her. “No one has to die today, not you, me, the Banshee. This is the last time I’m giving you an out. Go home and leave is alone. Never come back to this realm.”

  “No, I think I’ll take my chances here,” she said. There was an ebb of power in her voice that grew with each word. “Most fae hate Tir Nam Beo. The stink of iron is everywhere. I think it’s growing on me.”

  I tapped into the fae in me, ready to fight her with everything I had, then glanced back to see how many fighters I had at my disposal. Instead of vampires and weres, I saw tall buildings, vehicles parked along the sidewalk, and shops. There were lights everywhere and people running, being herded by wolves. I’ll be damned if we weren’t uptown.

  Chapter 24

  “Uptown! You opened the portal in the heart of Center City!” I screeched. Dear Lord, this was a PR nightmare, waiting for the cameras to start flashing. I pulled back the burst of power that was waiting to be released. There was no way I could use it and not bring down a ton of metal and concrete on our heads. It was too unpredictable.

  “It was the only place I could think of. I had no choice,” Irulan huffed over the growing rattling of metal.

  “There’s always a choice, Nightingale,” Carrie barked. “Unfortunately, you always choose wrong!”

  Carrie tensed her fingers and the rattling became the crunching and screeching of metal being torn. I saw movement from the corner of my eye and then the air was filled with the floating, twisted remains of the vehicles that lined the street. Each car was being disassembled, sheared into slivers, until we were surrounded by thousands of razor sharp projectiles.

  “Carrie, look around you. Innocent people are going to get hurt if you do this!” Irulan yelled as she pushed by me.

  “What do I care about your hollow, finite-mortals?” Carrie laughed. “They break so easily…watch.”

  “NO!” Ire screamed, but it was too late. Hunks of metal were flying in every direction, barreling toward groups of fleeing humans. Valerian reacted first, jumping into the air, snatching as many of the projectiles as he could. I slipped into a flash, throwing up a shield to block some, while grabbing others out of the air. I felt multiple auras as I worked, and knew that the others had joined me.

  We raced back and forth, fighting the coming storm and Carrie’s handiwork. But in a city filled with metal, trying to out-maneuver a Metal Mage was an uphill battle. I threw my aura ahead of me, searching for Marcus but instead found Thade and Tamerlane, “The humans?”

  “They’re clear for two blocks up to Trade. Marcus is on two feet and bringing in Sentinels to block
off a perimeter. Val, we’ve gotta keep this contained.”

  At the risk of sounding like a prick, I kept my ‘duh’ to myself. The next voice I heard in my head was Tino’s. “Listen, sis, I’ve got a clear shot. That should buy you a few minutes. As soon as she falls, you guys hit it.”

  I resisted the urge to turn around and look for my older brother. Instead, I released my shield, letting the bits of metal clang to the ground. “The humans are safe, so boohoo to you,” I huffed. “Tamerlane is here,” I called out to everyone, “he’s going to keep Carrie busy while we dip.”

  “Keep her busy, how?” Ire huffed.

  “Does it matter?” Vedo shot back, not caring that we knew he’d been listening to our conversation. The first shot went off with a loud ‘kapow’. Carrie’s reflexes were every bit as fast as my own. She threw a hand in front of her face, pulling her power. The round froze inches away and hung in the air before her. Two more quick pops sounded off, and Carrie stopped them both. But I knew my brother. This wasn’t the distraction he was planning. I tilted my head and closed my eyes. There underneath the repeated firing of one gun, I heard another being gently cocked.

  As I was the only person listening for it, I heard the small pop of a round leaving a silencer. His aim was dead on. Carrie jerked and stumbled with a hand pressed to her chest. Two more rounds stuck her in the legs, and she dropped to her knees. Irulan took a step toward her and stopped. I could feel her confusion through our link. Despite all that she’d done, Ire still cared. Carrie lifted her bloody hand and frowned at the circle of blood that soaked her shirt. “Irulan, you helped them do this to me?” She managed to say before falling to her knees.

  Ire looked to me for answers and in return I shrugged a shoulder. A bullet to the chest is pretty self-explanatory. So is one to the temple. Tam’s next shot hit her in the side of the head and knocked her flat on her back. Irulan screamed and started for her. Fazion and Stryfe appeared from out of nowhere, blocking her path. Fazion sighed and took Irulan by the arm.