“Do you always talk like that?” Stella eyes crinkled as her mouth quirked up on one side.
Sally shook her head and let out a sigh as she turned and started looking at their ground zero. “No, unfortunately it’s a side effect of being bff’s with a slightly crazy, possibly delusional, definitely nymphomaniac who likes military lingo during stressful situations.”
“Interesting,” said Anna as she stood with wide eyes looking a little shell shocked.
“That’s putting it mildly,” Sally quipped. She pulled the backpack from her shoulders and knelt down to the ground to open it. Stella and Anna moved closer as she removed four stones. They pulsed with power, each emanating a soft glow of a different color.
“Were those in there when we left?” Anna asked. “I thought Peri said they show up whenever they want.”
Sally shrugged. “Really they show up for the good guys when they are needed. To answer your question, no they were not in my bag when we left.”
“So what would we have done had they not chose to make an appearance?”
“That’s where the dancing naked part Peri was talking about would come into play.”
“So glad they graced us with their presence,” Stella added as she let out a relieved sigh.
“Me too,” Sally admitted, but then added. “Because really, dancing naked would do nothing more than make things jiggle that just shouldn’t jiggle and expose you to poison ivy in places that were never meant to have rashes.” Not acknowledging their bewildered faces, she began to lay the stones out on the ground in a circle the way Peri had showed her. As she put each stone in its place she so named it. She laid down the white stone first. “Air, for the oxygen we breathe, the wind that cools our skin, and the destruction it can cause when necessary. Earth,” she continued as she pressed the green stone to the dirt. “For the life that shoots forth from it, for the fruit that it bears, for the home that it provides.” Next was the red stone. “Fire, for the heat it provides, for the ways it can be used to bring about change, and for keeping those safe who have wielded it for such a purpose. Last, water,” she laid down the final stone, which was blue. “For the life it sustains, for the thirst it quenches, and for the cleansing it provides. Air, earth, fire, water each on their own can cause destruction of unfathomable proportion, but together they not only destroy, they also purge, heal, restore, and renew.”
Sally motioned for the two girls to take their places in the tripod around the stones. “I know y’all aren’t familiar with your power, but it’s there,” she explained. “When you call it, the answer will rise up and fill you with energy, peace, and light. Let it flow through you, become a part of you so that way you can learn to direct it. Tonight we need to concentrate pouring our power into the stones. The power within them, combined with our own, will hopefully cleanse this forest of the evil that has saturated it for too long.” She looked at both Anna and Stella and smiled using her own light to settle their fears. “Any questions?”
Stella’s head tilted to the side as her hand found her hip. “Seriously?”
Sally laughed and it felt good. “Okay, bad choice of words. How about, let’s do this.”
The two healers smiled at her as they reached for each other’s hands. Sally closed her eyes, focusing on her own magic, and hoped silently that Anna and Stella would step up and be what they needed them to be.
She felt the heat of her power flowing through her, surging forth as if it knew just how badly she needed it. Her mind moved quickly to give it direction and purpose. When her magic began pushing toward the stones lying before them, she opened her eyes and watched in fascination. They began to swirl and glow, each of them appearing as if their element was inside. Red burned with fire, blue tossed and rolled as if an ocean was teaming inside. White whipped and spun like the breeze on a windy day, and green looked plush and soft filled with grass and rich foliage. She looked up to see the other two healers, their eyes closed and faces tight with concentration. A small smile appeared on Sally’s face as she stared at the two girls who would soon share her fate. These were her people. The wolves were her pack, of course, but these healers were actually like her. She couldn’t help but find joy in knowing that she wouldn’t be doing this alone. Yes, she had Rachel, but that was so different because Rachel was from a whole different era. But these girls were like Sally. She could relate to them and she hadn’t known how badly she had needed that.
Her eyes closed once again and she continued to focus on pouring all of her energy into the stones. She had been in battles before where they had been victorious, and they would be again tonight. They had to be, because there was so much they all had to learn and so much good they could do. And as Costin shared his power with her when he felt her growing tired, she realized that more importantly than those things, these healers had mates who needed them.
Stella didn’t really know what power Sally was talking about so instead she just focused on the part of her that always brought her comfort and peace. She pulled it around her like her favorite fleece blanket, sheltering herself from the cold world. As she began to feel herself growing warm she saw a faint glow in her mind’s eye. This must be it, she thought. Now she had to get it into the stones. She didn’t know how the image came to her, but she imagined a tunnel from her body, linked to the stones with branches at the end that divided the tunnel into four spouts. She pictured the light sliding into the channel she’d created and then pushed with all her will. She felt the energy leaving her body, rushing out of her in a steady stream and into the stones. She didn’t know what was happening once the light reached the stones and she was scared that if she opened her eyes to peek then she would lose her concentration. So she would stand there as Sally had instructed, funneling this power until someone told her to shut it down. She felt the wind pick up around her, whipping her hair around her face, and heard thunder rolling in the distance, but still she did not open her eyes.
Anna couldn’t believe how easy it had been for her to recognize the magic that Sally had described inside of her. She simply closed her eyes and did an inventory of her mind and there it was, a soft, humming, glow, waiting for a task, and so she gave it one. Replaying Sally’s words in her mind she pictured the light flowing into the stones. Peri had compared it to pouring liquid into a glass, but to Anna it seemed more like a roaring river, surging forward, crashing against the sides of its constraints and then flooding through the mouth into the open water. Her light seemed to cover the stones like overflowing water and then seep into them. It was magical, and she watched it in childlike wonder.
All those years her mother had told her that magic lived inside of her and Anna had blown her off. She had thought her mom was crazy or smoking weed when she wasn’t home. Now, standing there, named a gypsy healer, welcomed into the fold, and finally feeling like her something more was being fulfilled before her very eyes, she ached for her mother and for the relationship they never had because of her stubbornness. She hoped that her mom had kept the evil out as she always implored to Anna. She hoped she was safe and happy. Maybe one day, if they lived to see tomorrow, she could find her mom and tell her that she found her light and the darkness would never take her.
∞
Peri was silent, her breathing slow and measured. Her eyes were focused, but never still as they moved over the land, mentally marking obstacles to avoid. She looked at the wolves lined in what Lucian had called an arc, but she saw it as a half-moon and found it oddly appropriate. Volcan needed the full moon above them to make the power he was using stronger, but silently, unbeknownst to him a moon of another sort with deadly power was moving towards him.
“Everyone is in position, beloved,” Lucian’s warm rich voice rumbled in her mind.
“I’d say let’s light this bitch up, but since we are going in as silent as possible that really wouldn’t be appropriate.”
He chuckled. “Perhaps you should say, when you can’t hear the wolves, that’s when the wolves are coming.”
“Profound, and somewhat badass, I’ll go with it,” she teased.
“How generous of you,” he growled back.
“What can I say, wolf? It’s like a non-profit biz up in here. I just give and give and expect nothing,”
“Peri,” he interrupted.
“What?”
“Give the order.”
Peri rolled her eyes at his bossiness. She made a motion with her hand and when she lowered it the entire arc moved forward as one. The wolves, even in their human forms were impressively quiet and fluid, their movements not even rustling a plant. Peri, Elle, and Adam were fae—they were on a whole different level when it came to stealth mode. It was almost as if they became one with nature around them. They moved lithely, their feet not even leaving indentions in the earth beneath them. Peri could anticipate a dip in the ground, or a low tree branch that wasn’t visible until right up on it. As for their senses, well they had a trick or two up their sleeves. Few species knew that when the fae went into battle mode, their senses jumped into overdrive. Everything was heightened. It was a credit to the wolves that she could not even hear them breathing.
They continued forward and when they hit the second tree line Peri saw Costin slide into position as if it was choreographed. Peri felt her heart speed up as they continued forward, step, pause, step, pause, it was a mantra in her mind. It felt as if they had been walking for miles when the first scream lit up the night. Peri threw her hand in the air stopping the males that would have reacted to the female’s cry. They may not know her, but she was theirs because somewhere in the world, there was a wolf waiting for her.
All heads swung in her direction and she was hit full force by their collective power. Their glowing eyes revealed just how close their wolves were to taking this mission over.
“Control your wolves, Lucian,” Peri growled. “If we go charging in there they might slit her throat the second they see us. We stick to the plan.”
She could feel that he knew she was right, but the protector in him didn’t like it. She felt Lucian’s power roll across her skin and saw all of the wolves, save Dillon, take one step back in unison. The frozen snarls on their faces said they didn’t like it, but he was more dominant than all of them and so they had no choice but to obey. She wondered why Dillon was able to resist the order; she knew Lucian was dominate to Dillon regardless of his Alpha status. She decided maybe Lucian had been able to leave Dillon out of the command out of respect. Wise wolf her mate.
Once everyone seemed to be in control, Peri motioned again and as one they continued forward. The screams continued, on and off as they progressed, and they grew louder as they drew closer to the clearing. She knew that Lucian was exerting a lot of energy keeping the wolves in check, but she knew he had to. Something in her told her that if they acted too soon they would lose at least one of the healers that were captured.
Peri covered her mouth as she gasped when the clearing finally came into view. Lucian immediately reacted and surrounded her with his comfort through their bond. But no amount of comfort was going to calm her down. She was glad in that moment that she had chosen to be on the far left side because she was the only one who could see the altars. The trees were sparser in front of her, and heavier through the center where the others were headed. If any of the wolves saw what she was seeing, not even Lucian would be able to stop them.
Peri didn’t know there were tears on her face until the wind picked up and she felt the moisture cool on her skin. The tall trees began to sway as it built in force. She looked up and suddenly the night grew a bit darker. Ominous clouds were building all around them. They billowed throughout the sky until the full moon was completely blotted out. They were plunged into complete darkness. She nearly smiled as she thought, my girls got game. She knew this change of atmosphere was no fluke. Sally and her two protégé were totally getting their magic on.
“Peri, we need to move, now.” Lucian growled.
“Do you enjoy running head long into trees?”
He snarled. “Of course not.”
“Then I suggest we walk quickly, not suddenly turn into a crazed pack of hyenas.”
“I can’t hold them all much longer,” he said wearily, and she heard something else in his tone. “Dalton is more dominant than he lets on. He isn’t superior to me, but something has him near feral. I can’t stop him much longer.”
“Fine, turn them loose. Let’s see what Lorelle and her master can do.”
Thunder conveniently roared just as the wolves, still human, surged forward. It covered the sounds of their low growls, and pounding feet. Peri ran, reaching for all of her senses to help guide her. The darkness abated when she finally reached the edge of the clearing. Lorelle had conjured fae light to hover above her prisoners, making them look like some sick horror show.
Peri started to step from the shadows but froze when she saw Lorelle suddenly stiffen over the body of one of the healers. She jerked and her limbs curled in unnatural positions until finally a thick, black liquid seemed to leak from the bottom of her feet. It flowed faster and faster, rising on top of itself. Lorelle’s body slumped across the bloody mess of the healer, but Peri’s eyes were jerked back to the liquid that was now solidifying. Slowly a skeleton formed, nerves and ligaments came next, then muscle and tendons wrapped around the bones covering them completely. For a split second, it looked as though a pile of meat in the form of a person stood there. But then skin rippled over the form, starting at the head and flowing downward until every raw bit was covered. Hair sprouted from the head, a startling white that fell against the pale skin. The face began to take on an appearance as the nose slipped into a long narrow shape; the eyes were a little farther apart than seemed normal and almond in shape. The mouth was lined with thin lips that held a grayish hue. The final adornment was a simple cloak. It wrapped around the form and Peri’s mind finally registered what she was looking at―Volcan. All of this happened in less than a minute, but her mind was not processing it that fast.
Peri blinked when she heard a deep, scratchy chuckle and barely had time to block the red ball that he whipped around and threw straight at her.
“Perizada,” Volcan bellowed. “How long has it been?” He stared where she stood in the shadows. She could tell he was trying to assess the situation. Was she alone? If not, how many were with her? Is my power enough? When the wicked sneer stretched across his face, she knew he had decided he was more than capable of dealing with whatever she brought. Fool, she thought and lunged to the right when another red ball flew at her.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” he sung, sounding every bit as crazy as she remembered him to be.
“It’s go time, wolf,” She told her mate just before she flew out of the cover of the trees straight at Volcan. She hit his body with such a force that she surprised even herself. Her goal had been to take him completely unaware, and the pitiful thing about magic users is that they never expect to be attacked any other way.
“Hey Volcan,” Peri chirped just before her fist connected with his face. “I’d say it’s good to see you, but you’re even uglier than I remember.” She hit him again and again in quick succession while he was still trying to figure out what the crap he should do. It didn’t last much longer. He put his hands to her chest and she felt a jolt slam into her and she soared away from him. She flew backwards through the air until she was abruptly stopped by a large pine tree. Before she could stand she felt bolt after bolt of his power crashing into her, pinning her in place. She wondered what the hell the wolves were doing, why they weren’t ripping into him, and when she was able to get her eyes open she realized they were all standing around the edge of the clearing, some human, some wolf, but all pissed. The males in their wolf forms were ramming their heads into an invisible barrier that, by the way they bounced off of it, was as impenetrable as steel.
There was a short reprieve in Volcan’s attack that gave Peri the opportunity to glance at her sister, who was no longer
slumped like a rag doll over the healer. She held her hands up muttering under her breath as she built the shield’s resistance. When she appeared to grow weak, her sister did something that made Peri scream at the top of her lungs. Lorelle, with a look of fierce determination on her face, turned and bit into the healer’s leg like a rabid dog. The snarls of the wolves drowned out the girls’ screams. Peri put her hand on the tree and pushed herself up. She was on her feet when she looked to see why Volcan wasn’t blasting her ass and lost her cool, if she ever had it, when she saw him hovering over the next healer. He hadn’t cut her yet, and Peri would be damned if she would let him.
“Not on my watch,” she growled as she gathered her power ran towards the barrier and slammed her fist into it. A crack, able to be seen, formed and began crawling across it like a piece of glass that had been hit by a rock. She pressed her hands to the place in front of her and was able to melt away a space large enough for her to get through. She ran hard and fast towards Volcan and purposefully yelled about ten feet away. She anticipated his attack and was able to dodge it, giving her an opening. As she flew past him she landed another punch into the barrier and it weakened even more. When she turned to face Volcan again she was introduced to his fist as he slammed it into her jaw. She felt Lucian’s rage and saw, out of the corner of her eye, the barrier crumple.
Peri grinned as blood dripped from her mouth. She looked at Volcan who was using his magic to fling wolves away from him. “Uh-oh, you’re in trouble now.”
Chapter 23
“The Canis lupis have a saying for those who would dare lay a hand on their mates or their children: Better had the offender never been born than face the wrath of the male he had crossed.” ~Sorin
Into the Fae Page 28
