by Lyn Brittan
Fanchon Marie got over her own shocking time to catch Breznik get over his.
“Shoot. Kill them. Kill them all!” In response, Morlena guards leaned out of damn near half the windows and patios on the front face of the house. Luca’s eyes still swirled as he manipulated the earth...somehow. She would have to handle this on her own. Arms raised, she flung out curse after curse, not bothering to hide her eyes from the blood-soaked destructing her words caused. The moment these fools rose the dead was the moment they ceased to be human and deserving of her sympathy. Let them cry. Let them beg for mercy.
More importantly, let the firing stop. Please.
Too late.
Fanchon Marie felt the bullet pierce though her skin in shoulder but bit back a scream. The last thing Luca needed was any sort of distraction. With a quick exhalation of air, she threw another round towards her assailant. Direct hit, though she didn’t get too long to celebrate before it happened.
Yeah, it. A sound unlike anything she’d ever heard before. Something akin to two train cars crashing into each other, and amplified to the ninth degree. The ground roared. Not as if it was being used, but as if it had life itself. It breathed for Luca. The sound got to be so much that Fanchon Marie, along with the remaining Morlena men, dropped everything to cover their ears. Not much protection from the sonic boom her husband created, but she’d take relief from anywhere she could. Those in front of her had not been so lucky. She looked up to see them holding their hands to their eyes as blood crept down the sides of their faces. Shattered eardrum or worse?
The ground moved. It grew. Building and building like a wave, accumulating strength, height, and width until it loomed overhead as a strong earthen tsunami. The tide of soil moved towards the house and, much like a real wave, continued to grow in size as it collected more and more earth. Soon it stood tall enough to tower over the ancient plantation main house.
“My God, Luca. What are you doing? Commanding the ground to kill?”
A voice, not entirely human and not too far removed from the far side of insanity answered a very succinct, “Yes.”
While the small mound and moat bearing Gregorio moved towards them, the wave of earth and dirt fell onto the house, crushed its weight until the imposing, majestic edifice had been reduced to smoking pile of splintered wood and crashing windows.
From each side, a wave of earth smashed into the remains of the home, sealing anyone inside into a permanent tomb. Once finished, the ground sealed itself to become flush with the earth around it until no evidence remained of the home or any of its inhabitants. Drained, Luca fell to the ground, like the house he’d just collapsed.
Fanchon Marie ran back and forth to both men without worry. No one would walk out of that mess ever again. She pulled the slightly less gargantuan Gregorio over next to Luca and cast a protective spell in case any more Morlena showed up. She went to work dressing Gregorio’s many wounds and tried, without much success, to ignore the shooting pains in her shoulder. She paused only to look up and smile at her husband’s form. He’d done it. Somehow, he’d managed to do the impossible.
He was still glowing, likely coming down from whatever had given him so much power. There wasn’t much she could do for him, at least not right away. Gregorio on the other hand…bones needed to be reset and gashes closed. He drifted in and out of consciousness and soon, after she’d done as she could for him, she passed out, too.
****
“Fanche?”
The moon was high when she crawled over to her husband’s tired voice. “You know, I never gave you permission to call me that.”
“Haven’t I earned the right to call you by any name I choose?” He smiled weakly as he said it.
Fanche? Hmmm. She decided she didn’t hate it and placed a kiss filled with love on his forehead. “You’ve earned that and pretty much anything else you want. I love you, Nicolae Luca Djordi Dobrogea, undisputed Rom Baro. Now rest up so we can go home.”
“Breznik?”
“Dust.”
“And Gregorio?”
“Well and able to speak for myself, thanks to your wife,” he said. Weak, but jovial, Gregorio pulled something out his shirt. “That water you gave me so much crap over was the only thing that kept me alive. I had just enough from the night before to sustain me during their attacks.” The rest of his healing came from Fanchon Marie’s magical ministrations. He skin was still a little purple with it.
Luca coughed out a raspy laugh. “I suppose this means I will have to put up with your gloating for the next few days.”
“Months, possibly years.”
“When you get over yourself, whip up a batch for me and my wife. You have my permission, of course.”
“Took long enough. I love you, cousin, thanks for saving me.”
“Thank for being there.”
Fanchon Marie wiped away tears before either man could see them. She would never cease to be amazed by the love of family. Still there was one thing she couldn’t yet wrap her head around. “Luca, how did you do that? I mean, where did all that power come from?”
He husband shrugged as his body shut down to replenish, but not before adding, “I love you, too, Fanche Dobrega.”
Epilogue
It took nearly a full day of rest before the trio made it back to New Orleans from Baton Rouge. Hours after putting up her protective shield, Luca’s backup had arrived. Finally. Tender hands loaded the three of them onto boats and they all drifted downstream towards home. Together.
“I cannot make sense of it,” Luca said into his second glass of Siga Ros. He still wore the bloody and shredded clothes he had planned on flying off to his honeymoon in. Luca held out a third glass to a freshly showered and still dripping Fanchon Marie. They’d started healing treatments on her shoulder which had nearly righted itself up completely.
“Maybe this will help?” Fanche held out an oversized manila envelope with Luca’s name on it. The thing had been stapled, taped, and waxed sealed. The sender clearly intended this to be for his eyes only. “Someone, left it on the bed.”
Someone. Probably Sophie. The woman needed an apology and soon. She was due. His maid, though set in her old ways, had been innocent of all dealings regarding the kidnapping and had been nothing but gracious to his Fanche since the wedding.
“The wax binding. Does that emblem belong to who I think it does?”
Luca sat on the edge of his desk and flipped over the folder to investigate. A wolf...at the helm of a Viking knarr. He held up the package to light. Didn’t hurt to try to see the contents before opening. Perhaps, check for wires. “Who else would be conceited enough to have this as a symbol?”
“Well, are you going to open it?” His Fanche moved next to him on the desk. “Can I?”
“That depends and no.”
He knew Fanche had been heartsick for Callie since that day on the boat, but he wasn’t about to let that change his mind. Sean had brought Callie back here to rest up but left before their return. In fact, they hadn’t seen or heard from either of the wolves since using the satellite phone on the river.
Luca picked up the house receiver and dialed downstairs. “Sophie, any word on the wolves? Did Callie recover? Good. Her general condition? Thank you.”
Luca lumbered his tired body over to the window. He paused to stop her from following him. “No, you stay here. I intend to walk over there. I need to open this thing.”
“Is that really necessary, Luca? The man nearly died trying to save my life.”
“That’s not the issue.”
“What is the issue?”
“That Callie nearly died trying to save my life. He has never been very rational when it comes to her.”
Fanchon Marie started to walk over, but Luca stopped her again. “I am serious, Fanche.”
“They’re our friends. And before you say anything stupid, if he’s not your friend, at least I count her as one. You know she wouldn’t let him do anything to hurt me.”
“
I’m not you.”
“You are part me. She knows how much I need you. That means he does, too. Besides, just because his girlfriend’s been—”
“Oh, they’re not together. Since you’re so close, you’d think you’d know that.”
“What? Wait a sec. They broke up?
”It’s not that. They’re—”
“Well, then his wife—”
He shook his head again. “Nope.” The look on her face was priceless.
“Then his...oh, just tell me, Luca! What the hell are they?”
“Who knows? Damnedest thing I have ever seen. They need each other. They fight and kill for each other and yet....” Luca raised the envelope to his nose. “Fortunes have been won and lost over them in the highest magical gaming circles. No one knows.” Luca let a dry chuckle escape. “It is the greatest mystery of our time, Fanche. Now, as to this little package right here, her scent is on it. That gives me some hope that whatever is inside won’t blow us to the Praio Tem.” Luca winked and ripped it open.
No wires or white airborne powders. No nasty spells or burned and cursed photos, just papers. Lots of bundled papers, bank statements, and a blank check. One of his own! “What the hell?”
Fanchon Marie came over. “Hold on, Luca.” She bent down to scoop something off the floor. “This fell when you opened it. Looks like a note from Sean.”Luca held up his own piece of treasure. “A bill of sale and a deed for property in Baton Rouge. That clever little bastard. He gave me all the backup I needed – the power of the land. My land. He made it my own.”
Fanche’s laughter trumped his wonderment. “What?”
“This note, Luca. Hilarious.”
“Go on. What does it say?”
Fanche puffed out her chest and put on her best holier than thou voice:
“I suppose I don’t hate you anymore. It is an unsettling feeling. Anyway, you’re welcome, you owe me and this is not a wedding present. I want my money back. Signed, Sean.
P.S. Congrats on the baby. Name it Callie (or Sean) and we’ll call it a wash. P.P.S. If Gregorio calls here again, I’ll kill him. THIS, is none of your business, just relay the message. Tell your trouble making wife that Callie will call her once she gets better.
“That pup never ceases to amaze me. Neither do you. Come here.” He placed both their glasses of wine on the desk and gathered her in his arms. “I am so proud of you. I love you, and I can’t wait to begin our new life together.”
“Let’s start today. I love you, Rom Baro.”
“And my heart belongs to you, Beluni.”
The End
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Table of Contents
Start
