"NO!" Brendi shouted as she ran forward.
Cordelia, visible now, her big eyes excited, grabbed the arrow and, after a few yanks, pulled it from Crwys's heart.
Everything broke up at once. The crowd screamed as they realized what just happened and tried to climb down from their seats. The guards took off running toward the pit where Crwys was suspended, all of them barking orders.
The building pressure I'd sensed erupted in that instant as Crwys's head came up. He opened his mouth in a yell that shook the hall's foundation. I put my hands to my ears as Ivan grabbed me and pulled me to the side as a chunk of obsidian fell where we'd been standing.
I landed hard on my side with Ivan on top of me. When he scrambled off, I looked back to get a glimpse of Crwys but all I could see was a ball of light. It was like peering directly into the sun as it expanded to fill the room. The scream continued until it deepened and became a deafening growl.
"Oh holy Goddess of the five Elements!" Ivan said nearby. "Sam! We gotta move!"
I'd put my hand up to shield my eyes from the light, but the light was gone. In its place was something I'd never believed I'd ever see in my lifetime, except maybe in the comfort of a movie theatre.
A Dragon.
A real live, fire-breathing Dragon. It stood on its back legs and spread out its arms, stretching thin membranes between long, boney knuckles. It lifted its head back and roared.
Crwys's true form.
"FOOLS!" came a voice over the screaming, running Faeries. "YOU WOULD SEEK TO CONTROL THE SON OF GAIA?"
Ivan was up and dragging me to my feet. I was too preoccupied with watching the Dragon. Watching Crwys. He bellowed fire as he spoke and focused on an entire stand of Faeries. Yellow, red, amber fire belched forth and covered the stands. When the smoke cleared, nothing moved.
Dear Goddess…
-You have to stop him before he destroys this land again.-
How…how can I stop him like this?
-Look deep and you'll know.-
I frowned. That was not helpful. My Undine popped up at that moment and moved in front of me. She smiled and clutched her chest. Was she in pain? Did she have heart burn? Did she need to go?
In what looked like a frustrated attempt to prove a point, the Undine rammed my chest just over my heart—
My heart.
Ivan had pulled us to a small alcove behind the dais. I couldn't see Brendi and the hooded man was long gone. I saw Bastien and his wolves as they ushered Faeries through doors behind the remaining stands. I grabbed Ivan's hand and pushed the book into it. "Put this in my backpack. And keep down. Do not get killed or Dharma will never let me hear the end of it."
"Was she worried?"
"She thought you were dead, Ivan. We both did. We were wrecked. Now wipe that grin off your face and do what I said."
"What're you gonna do?"
I looked back at the rampaging Dragon. The temperature of the room rose. I noticed the heat but I didn't feel the heat. I wasn't sweating. I looked at Ivan. Neither was he. "Are you hot?"
"I don't know. Dharma thinks so."
I poked him. "No, I mean look at the fire. The heat of a Dragon. We've seen what he can do when he's not in his true form. Shouldn't we be like…melting?"
He put his hand to his face. "Yeah…what's up with that? You don't think this has anything to do with why Brendi couldn't set us on fire either do you?"
I did. I believed it had a lot to do with it.
-Go to him!-
"Just do what I said." I pushed myself up and ran through the exiting crowds of Faeries like a salmon swimming up stream. Crwys took up the entire back of the room as the stands burned. The ceiling was on fire as well, and I was pretty sure we had minutes before it came raining down on us.
I ran right up to him, as close as I could get and started shouting his name. "Crwys! Look at me! It's Sam! Please…look at me!"
He wasn't listening. I didn't think he could hear me through the shouting and his own roaring. The hiss of fire alerted me to a falling ball of flame and I sidestepped it. How was I going to get him to see me and not get barbecued?
Can you help?
-Yes!- the Arcane sounded as panicked as I felt.
I didn't fully release control, but I gave up enough as I felt the Arcane Magic fill the space around me. I saw my hands glitter red and I felt my vocal chords expand and strengthen. I called my Sylph. He came to me as I opened my arms. He wasn't a small, cute burst of wind now, but a fully formed golden man with hair like a wispy breeze. He was invisible from the waist down.
He offered me his hand, so gentle and graceful in the midst of the chaos. I placed my hand in his and we rose above the cracking obsidian floor and into the smoke filled air. We paused just in front of the Dragon and I faced him. My Sylph vanished from sight but he still held me in the air.
The Dragon set the other stand on fire and then brought that fire up and braised the ceiling. This part of the palace had very little time left. "Crwys!" I bellowed and my voice carried in the hall.
The Dragon paused and looked in my direction. I recognized his eyes, those beautiful amber red eyes. But now they were as big as me and filled with hate and pain. "WHO ARE YOU?"
My heart skipped. "It's me! It's Samantha!"
"LIAR! SAMANTHA IS IN HER WORLD. SHE WOULD NEVER ENTER HERE!" I recognized the slant of his head and I watched as his chest glowed. It'd done that seconds before that last blast of fire. Did he plan on killing me?
"No I'm right here! I would go anywhere to find you!"
"YOU LIE!" That's when he let loose a plume of dragon fire at me. I threw up my hands and screamed. I expected pain, agony and the death of being consumed by fire.
But the only thing I felt was a blast of hot air. I blinked a few times and looked down at myself. I was still whole—not even singed!
-The Dragon's blood protects you. His fire can't harm you.-
But…he just tried to fry me! Me!
-He's hurt and in pain.-
I couldn't get him to recognize me.
"Crwys!" I screamed at him and held my arms out. "You bought me roses! You signed your name! Your real name!"
"I WOULD TELL NO ONE MY NAME!"
"You told me! You wrote it in a card!"
"I ONLY GIVE THAT NAME TO THE ONES I LOVE. I LOVE NO ONE NOW. I AM ALONE."
"You're not alone. I'm here!" I took in a deep breath. "Listen to me, Azazel Apollo!" And when he paused, I said what I'd wanted to say since Valentine's Day. "I LOVE YOU!"
Everything stopped, except the fire. It raged on around us as we stared at one another. I saw recognition in those cold eyes. And then he was gone, his entire body folding up in a mushroom cloud of black smoke and flame.
My Sylph lowered me to the ground and once I had the rock and debris strewn stone under my feet I ran into that smoke, into that fire without caring. The only thing I wanted was Crwys. "Crwys! Talk to me!"
"S-Sam?"
I heard his voice to my right as my Sylph blew away the smoke. Crwys was on his knees on the floor, his hands at his sides. I knelt down in front of him and he looked at me with those beautiful eyes. He looked like hell. Brown, dried patches of blood stained his face, fresh blood dripped from his lip. I reached out to touch the stiff, hard bloody shirt over his heart where the arrow had pierced him.
Crwys took my hand and held it, staring at it as if he'd never seen anything like it. He closed his eyes as he cradled my hand against his face. He was warm and alive. I wiped at my eyes before I moved closer and placed my other hand against his neck.
Something caught the light of the turning fire in his eyes as he opened them and looked at me. "You came here…for me?"
I nodded.
"You risked your life to save me?"
I nodded. "I love you, Crwys Azazel Apollo, whatever your name is. I would rescue you no matter where you were."
Nothing prepared me for the hug that followed, or the sudden appearance of those same leathery wings as th
ey folded around us. He held me close and I held him, kissing his face, his ear, his neck, any piece of him I could get to.
"I love you too," he said.
"I know."
"Dragons…love for life."
And I smiled as I kissed him. "So do Witches who love Dragons," I said against his lips.
TWENTY SIX
I had him, but we weren't safe. And as I learned when I helped him to his feet, Crwys wasn't at full strength. He'd lost a great deal of blood in his human form and transforming had zapped what was left of his strength. We had to get out of Alfheim, which meant I needed to find Ivan and Bastien and use the knife.
With Crwys leaning heavily on my left side, I checked my back and found the knife still there, but only a single pistol. I pulled it out and checked. It was The Lady. Somewhere in the smoking rubble was my other pistol. But I didn't have time to look for it.
I felt a rise inside but I didn't know what happened to the Boggart the moment she pulled that arrow out. If she was invisible, then I wasn't sure where to find her.
Crossing the throne room was slow but I wasn't letting him fall, and I wasn't going to let him out of my sight. Not until we were back home in that barn. I spotted Bastien's red fur by the door and he shifted in mid run to his human form and took Crwys in his arms. It seemed kind of strange to see the Lycan carry the Dragon as we went back through the door and into the tunnel.
"Where are you going to use the staff?" Ivan asked as we stepped into the symbol room with the basin of blood.
I went to the basin and looked inside as the light came on again. I called my Gnome and smiled as she appeared, her axe in hand. "Here. But I want to get rid of something first." I nodded to my Gnome.
My Earth Elemental turned and brought her axe down on the basin. The stone cracked. She struck it again and again, until it was little more than rubble and the blood that had collected was gone.
I retrieved the knife and prepared to shove it into the ground.
"Very impressive, Sam. Now you've really screwed things up."
We all turned to face Brendi as she stepped out of the passage we came through. She had my other pistol in her hand. I noticed she wore a glove. Smart, since the iron in that weapon would melt her palm. I brought my pistol up and aimed it at her. I saw the bow at her back; the one Arden took from Circe's. She held a blood soaked arrow in her other hand. "It's done, Brendi."
"It's never done. I'm afraid I can't allow you to leave just yet. I have all of the Cairns guarded. You can't leave Alfheim."
"What exactly did you want the blood for?" Ivan asked. His tone was interesting. It was darker than usual.
"You can see for yourself. It gave you back your sight and it made Sam impervious to the Dragon's flame," she looked past me to Crwys who was motionless in Bastien's arms. "You give him back to me and I will promise you safe passage home."
"Sorry," I smiled. "Not gonna happen." I tossed the pistol to Ivan who caught it in mid air and held out the wooden knife. "Put the arrow down and fight me for him."
"Fight you? Against a wooden knife?" she lowered the bow. "You wish to make a deal again?"
"No deal. Competition. You fight me."
"Sam—" Crwys said.
"Not now, babe," I said as faced Brendi. "Well? You afraid of me…bitch?"
"The deal with my father is over," she tossed down the bow and arrow and summoned a long knife of her own. "You are mine!"
I sidestepped her thrust and planted my left hand on her bare shoulder. She screamed out as the iron ring touched her skin. I used that leverage to push her down on the ground. The skin where the iron touched puckered and turned black as the poison spread.
She looked up at me with wide eyes as I raised the wooden knife. "Never, ever, touch a Witch's man, bitch!" I slammed the knife down into her chest, and as her blood sprayed my face and arms, the knife moved through and stuck the ground beneath. The vibration came as the Cairn was established. The Circle of purple lights appeared, clashing with the blue green light of the symbols.
I stood and looked down at her, the knife pinning her to the ground. Taking my backpack off, I retrieved the water bottle full of metal, uncapped it and handed it to Ivan.
He smiled as he poured it directly into her eyes. They bubbled and smoked as the metal ate them away. The water filled her mouth and Brendi was unable to scream.
Turning, I gestured for Bastien to join us. Bastien helped Crwys as we each knelt and touched the stop of the knife. Crwys faced me as he put his hand on the rowan and I was pretty sure the knife was the only thing holding him up. "Remind me never to piss you off."
"Don't disappear on me again." I took hold of his stiff shirt and kissed him. "Now let's go home."
TWENTY SEVEN
We showed up back in the barn seconds after we left. Bastien helped Crwys into the house where Cromwell offered him a home, land, anything to remove the curse. Staggering and ignoring the old man's chatter, Crwys removed the curse and then promptly fell into a coma.
Arden offered us Gypsy Gardens to recuperate in. I agreed, only because I didn't want to move Crwys around. But I invited she leave and not come back until we were gone. She agreed and called her staff back in to take care of us. No one was going to move me from Crwys's side. I refused to leave his room.
Dharma picked Ivan up that same day and the two of them returned to the city to keep the shop open. Prescott was pretty sure I was hiding at Gypsy Gardens, but she couldn't get the proper warrants to search for me. Cromwell did as he promised, and within a week I was no longer under suspicion because the body, and all of the evidence, had suddenly vanished.
As to what happened in Alfheim after we left—no one knew. I didn't know if Brendi survived. Or if Medbh did. I didn't care. I had what I wanted and they could all go to hell.
I hadn't heard anything from Tzariene either. I assumed she was happy. I did, in some way, slay the Dragon.
Levi came by several times to give Crwys blood to help the healing process for his human body. I still didn't understand how that worked, but I didn't ask. Anything that brought Crwys back from being nearly dead was okay with me.
We set up house in the room Arden provided. We ate together, showered together, made love as often as we could and eventually I got him out of the house for long walks along the property. The whole place was one gigantic ward, which made me feel safer, for both of us.
A month after the incident, in mid to late March, Crwys returned to work, his resignation torn up. Prescott eventually stopped glaring at me when I picked Crwys up at the station, and Levi warmed to the idea of Crwys and I in love.
Edmund Blackwood threatened a lawsuit against Arden. Apparently he expected her to die from the curse, and when she didn't, he believed the law would be in his favor. The whole thing seemed kinda silly when Kyle told me over the phone. But the reality was far more serious. Blackwood was a powerful man. And I knew none of us had seen the last of him.
Kyle and Jack were together and Kyle explained Jack had been out of town since the morning I came back from the cabin.
It was a Sunday afternoon and spring was in full bloom in Louisiana. We drove up to Arden's cabin in Crwys's Mustang for another extended vacation together. He taught me a few things about cooking and he even showed me his true form a few times, but without all the anger and fire. He took me for a ride once.
Once.
Because riding the back of a Dragon ranked right up there with Sam's Scariest Moments.
The third night we settled into the hot tub and clinked glasses of champagne.
"What is it?" I asked when his expression saddened.
"It's just…I never wanted to wreak that kind of destruction again, and the fact I did, still bothers me."
"That wasn't your fault, Crwys. It was Brend
i."
"That doesn't really soften the sting." He straightened up in the tub and set his glass on the side. "I'm not going to let my guard down again. And that means I'll never trust Arden Vervain again."
"You say that though we're at Arden's cabin."
"Doesn't mean we can't use her cabin." He looked sad again. "Sam…I don't know what you might have heard about me. What…any of the people of Alfheim said about…me. I want you to know exactly what I was—what I did. You deserve to know what—"
I went to him and put my finger over his lips, then lowered my hand to his shoulder. "Not now. Not yet. Yes I want to know, but in time. I want to know more of the man you are now, and then I can learn of the man you once were."
"I'm afraid you won't love me anymore if you knew—"
I put my finger against his lips again. "Shush. Doctor's orders."
Dangers still lurked out there, bent on horror and destruction. I had a crazy Leviathan that seemed obsessed with me and making my life hell. There was a Faerie kingdom in turmoil, and I was pretty sure it had one hell of a power grab going on if Brendi didn't survive. Injustices we couldn't even see or imagine continued in the moments between seconds.
But for now, it could all just wait.
I smiled as he moved to me and pressed those sexy lips against my own. I had his only kryptonite. The Arrow, which I'd hidden in a place no one will ever find, and myself. I knew I was important to him, just as he was to me. It weakened me to lose him, so I made a personal promise to myself. If anyone ever came between us, they would regret it for the rest of their lives.
LOOK for the next book in the Eldritch Files, Elemental Soul, available May 2015!!
Glossary
Pronunciations:
Crwys - Cruise
Medbh - Mayv
Sidhe - Shee
Dijin - Gin
Alfheim - Alf-hime
Circe - Seer-See
Tzariene - Zar-een
Language:
I am not an expert in Cajun or French, nor am I fluent. But I always had it in my head that while Vampires in New Orleans was a very well thought out trope, Werewolves in the Bayou was just as important. So this is my own blend of the two.
Elemental Flame Page 20
