“Shit.” Ivin spoke without thinking, then put a hand over her own mouth.
“We’re going to need a really big containment crew.” Rigo’s tone grew dark.
Wraithe took it all in. The prophecies, the events of the past few days, what he was looking at now. There was no more running or denying the truth. This war was here, and it was now.
Chapter Six
Kane pressed the nerve in the woman’s neck a little more gently than he had in each of the men. It stood against all he was as a man to harm a woman, even like this.
“I thought when you said you’d handle these three, you were going to use your charm and celebrity.” Ivin questioned him as he gently laid the guard on the floor beside the two men he’d already incapacitated.
He stood, straightened his jacket and smiled at her.
“My charm and celebrity is rather limited to a female audience in most cases. What does it matter? You got what you wanted, now it’s your turn.” He gestured up the staircase.
He, Ivin, and Bala all moved up the stairs in silence. When they arrived at the top, Ivin motioned them to wait.
Bala nervously bounced on her toes while Kane calmly watched Ivin summon her magic.
She raised one hand above the other, moving it in a circular motion above the other until a deep purple smoke appeared between them. She blew it on the chaotic order in the room just beyond where they stood.
Each person Kane could see from where he stood immediately fell into a deep slumber. He had to assume the rest had as well.
“We’ve got ten minutes. I can’t do anything else after that.” Ivin spoke as she motioned them to follow her.
They stepped out of an exterior waiting area into a grand dining hall. Normally, the setting would be full of tourists enjoying a meal, but of course the entire space was off limits while security attempted to figure out the paranormal.
“Impressive.” Kane realized he’d never been here before. “I think Wraithe’s royal banquet hall has a more personal touch though.
Wood paneled walls gave way to ornate wall paper. The room’s high ceilings looked to be supported by carved wood beams and stone arches. There were royal banners suspended from the ceiling as well as applied to the walls. The most awe inspiring feature of the room was its leaded glass windows that looked over the amusement park’s carousel courtyard below.
“Be sure you don’t tell him that, whatever you do! He’ll probably demolish the thing to better appease his guilt. Now come on.” Ivin grabbed the fabric of her long skirt and forged ahead.
A matter of seconds later, Blu came into view just as she had appeared in the video, suspended over nothing. Her long pink gown hung like grand curtains from her small frame. Her thick golden hair did the same. When Bala first saw her, she gasped and stumbled, but Kane caught and steadied her.
“Are you all right?” He didn’t know her well, but when she stared into his eyes, he saw a deep fear lit within them. For the first time he thought to question if her coming with them had been a good idea.
“I have to be.” She shook off a shiver.
The three stepped up to Blu’s body, elevated by some form of magic to just above waist level for Kane, nearly at head level for Bala.
Stretched out as if she were asleep, she showed no signs of life.
“You want me to kiss her?” Kane smiled.
Ivin rolled her eyes.
“Kane, you are arguably the sexiest man I’ve ever met, and I’m a very old woman, but no. First of all, she’d have to have her soul for that to be effective—” She drew a breath and sighed. “—and as we feared, she does not.”
“We have to be extremely careful with this.” Bala pointed to the perfect rose lying across her chest.
“Thorns?” Kane was confused now.
“No.” Bala grew very serious. “I’m reasonably certain that is her protector. We each have one. The problem is, in the video we think we saw it shift from this rose to a kitten and then back. It worries me that it may not be able to hold its shape in this energy field. That would put a lot of stress on it. If it senses us as a threat…”
“If you each have these things, how is it so many of you were taken, and where’s yours now?” Kane asked abruptly.
In his years of dealings with Wraithe, he’d learned to question everything and never ever expect an ordinary answer to anything.
“Obsidian is with Luxe, downstairs, and as for the other part… I don’t know.”
“Okay we’re losing a lot of time here.” Ivin’s tone grew serious. “The magic suspending her was cast dark, but it’s earth magic. I can reverse that easily. The sleep factor, I’m not so sure about.”
She moved her hands above Blu’s body and stopped at the rose.
“Bala, I’m not picking up any life force from that rose.”
Kane watched as that fear in Bala’s eyes grew darker. He ran his hand down her back in a show of comfort and support.
“Let’s just get her out of here.” Bala insisted.
Ivin went back to her magic. “Kane, when I release her, you need to catch her, so be ready.”
He took a step closer and hoped he was ready.
A moment later the princess’s body fell into his arms. He quickly countered his own balance to adjust for the added weight.
“Not to be a total spoil sport, but what of this lot?” He gestured with his head towards the sleeping security force.
“There will be a containment crew on their way. Let’s get out of here.” Ivin led the way back to the grand staircase. “The rest is up to the guys and Hayden. Gods be with them.”
* * * *
Luxe turned a 360, taking in the land of fantasy where they stood. Fairy tale music played from the carousel directly before them. There were people everywhere amidst the sound of laughter and the smell of popcorn and sweets. Shops lined either side of them, and a princess meet and greet was set up between a snack stand and a shop. Pressed concrete was beneath their feet and the castle rose up from behind them.
From what he could see, there was no less than twenty of the roahn-ami scattered around the area, some on the tops of buildings, a few slithering in and out amongst the tourists, some levitating just above the crowd.
Their own number was merely eight, even if he included Kane, Bala, and Ivin. They were very definitely outnumbered.
“What are we to do with these creatures?” Rigo questioned Wraithe as they stood side by side with Luxe, Hayden, and Thornton.
“We can’t start anything. We don’t have the numbers and there’s too much risk here.” Wraithe spoke calm and firm.
“I never should have allowed Bala to come here.” Luxe spoke in self-directed anger for putting his great love in such danger, only to have Rigo laugh harshly in response.
Luxe stared holes in him.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Was that not a joke? Were you seriously under the impression that stopping her was something you were able to do?” Rigo slapped him on the shoulder.
Luxe respected Rigo, but in this moment, he’d have been just as happy to run him through.
“She’s the only one that hasn’t been attacked. If Ivin is right, that’s because of the protection of Elethiya. None of us should have allowed her here.” He stood his ground, realizing now what a deadly mistake they may have made.
“Luxe, take it down a notch.” Thornton commanded casually. “For all we know, these things could be after Wraithe. No one remembers the last time he left Elethiya and he’s every bit as much a part of the prophecies as you and Bala are.”
Luxe took another view around. A roahn-ami hissed at him from its position atop a bright green vine made of plaster that looked to be ripping through the little shop beside them.
“And we’ve served all three of us right up to them! I’m going after Bala.”
He turned to storm the castle, literally, but then he saw Bala emerge directly behind Kane, who was carrying a still unconscious Blu.
“Thank god.” He w
as relieved to see her, but he wanted her out of there, now.
The five met up with Bala, Kane, and Ivin beneath the castle. They were already drawing a crowd. Tourists oooohing and ahhhhhing over the gowns the women wore, a few whispering about show times, and worst of all, phones capturing images.
Luxe took Bala’s hand and squeezed. Her smile back forced him to take a breath and trust that this was all going exactly as they planned. Getting Blu was the hardest part, now in just moments, she’d be on her way back to Elethiya, and so would they.
“Are you well, my darling?” Luxe had to hear her confirm it.
She kissed his cheek and he gladly accepted her warmth as she hugged him.
“Perfectly so.” She smiled at him, making him feel like an overprotective grandfather.
He felt the tiniest hint of shame for ever doubting her.
“I just love you so.” He would never be able to express how much a part of himself she had become. He stared into her eyes and what he saw reflected back was knowing. His love was returned tenfold.
Kane gently handed over Blu to Rigo, who took her with just as much care as she was presented to him. The sleeping Blu never made a sound, or gave any indication of consciousness.
“I can’t shift with this.” Rigo plucked the rose from her body and tossed it.
Bala reached out to catch it.
“Don’t…” She didn’t get a chance to finish her statement, or catch the rose. Instead she watched in guarded horror as it transformed midair into a large black and gold dragon, breathing green-yellow fire at them all.
Hayden and the three men beside her, Thornton, Wraithe, and Luxe, all drew bladed weapons from the enchanted sheaths that had previously masked their appearance.
“Shit.” Rigo couldn’t release Blu. It was his duty to get her out of there. “I have to leave.” He shouted out to the group.
“We’ve got this, Rigo. Go! Keep her safe!” Wraithe shouted back.
“Aye.” He couldn’t believe he was leaving his brother and Hayden mid-battle. “You, as well, brother.”
He wrapped his essence around Blu’s body, concentrating on the designated spot in Elethiya. A crack of energy later, they were gone in the vortex.
The dragon blasted them all with a steady stream of flame as it bellowed in distress.
Screams and cheers went up from the crowd now watching every move.
“We need to get these people out of here.” Kane whispered to Ivin. “I’m not good with a dragon or a sword, but I can do crowd control.
“This is completely out of hand.” She nodded. “I can use magic to hold them back.”
She raised her hands and sent out an energy wave across the crowd, erecting an invisible shield around the dragon and around their people.
Thornton’s jacket caught the edge of the fire and the flames multiplied in the leather fabric. He quickly tore it off and beat it against the stone façade of the castle while the dragon rose into the air… Or attempted to.
Wraithe caught its wing with one of his curved daggers and tore through the beast’s flesh. It shrieked as it attempted to fly anyway. Hitting the bubble Ivin erected, it didn’t get far. Its tail snagged a stroller parking lot, knocking over a sea of plastic, steel, and aluminum. It spat flame at the crowd, sounding like a faulty blow torch before it slammed into the storefront directly behind them, flattening an awning, cracking the plaster and knocking decorative stones from the roof.
As the façade came slamming to the ground, Kane charged at two little children, breaking through Ivin’s barrier and just barely saving them from the falling debris.
“Don’t hurt it!” Bala shrieked.
Wraithe moved in close on her left and signaled for Hayden and Thornton to come in from the other side. Luxe only saw Bala, and wasn’t taking orders from anyone.
“I’m not going to let you hurt it. Thornton, Hayden, back off!”
“Stay back, Bala.” Luxe attempted to shield her, but she pushed past him.
She ran to the dragon as it lay in a small heap on the ground and attempted to throw herself over it.
The dragon watched her coming, shook its head and lashed out with more flames.
Ivin manifested a shield for Wraithe, who was closest. With it he managed to reflect the flame away. It hit the energetic shield and immediately extinguished.
“That was new.” Kane returned to stand by Ivin and spoke calmly.
“I don’t have enough magic to fix all this.” She covered her face with her palm.
The crowd around them either ran, or applauded and cheered, clearly thinking this was all part of the magic on display for them.
“Stop!” Bala screamed. “It’s her protector.”
She again tried to calm the wild animal, only to have it snap at her with its enormous jaw.
She screamed and from nowhere, Obsidian came flying onto the scene, lunging at the dragon.
Luxe grabbed for Bala, but as he reached for her, the dragon bit into Obsidian’s shoulder blade. Luxe was thrown to the ground as a tearing pain from nothing he could perceive spanned the entire length of his body. Breathless, he put every ounce of energy into getting to Bala. He reached her just as a roahn-ami plunged a dagger into Obsidian’s fur.
“It has weapons?” Luxe stared at what he was seeing for a moment, then shouted, “It has weapons!”
The cry of the dog pained everyone within earshot.
Bala’s attention was focused only on her beloved wolf-protector. She didn’t fear the roahn-ami now. She wanted to kill it.
She reached out to dig her fingers into its vaporish being. If she could get the right grip, she could tear it apart.
“Bala, no!” Luxe yelled.
The demon reached for her as well, but stopped just short of impaling her with its claws. For a series of heartbeats, it was as if the world was silenced. It was only her and the roahn-ami. She was unable to move. It was as if she had no control over her own body. Her hands wouldn’t move, her feet, nothing. The roahn-ami stared deep into her soul, sending a shiver of ice into the deepest part of her.
A mere second later, the beast evaporated without touching her in the slightest.
Released from its grasp, she fell across Obsidian, breathing as if she hadn’t been able to get air for hours.
“No. No. No. No. Obsidian.” She grabbed the wolf, tears ran down her cheeks as she saw the deep red slash across its jet black fur.
Silence was so deep it was painful. The dragon had vanished. The roahn-ami had retreated to the rooftops, and the containment crew had arrived and were doing whatever it was they did, working with instruments that clicked and pinged.
“I have magic for this.” Ivin rushed in and fell to her knees beside them. “Hayden, can you transport him?”
Bala looked at the beautiful serahn, a god to her people, and silently begged for her help.
Hayden looked from Bala, to Obsidian, then to Ivin. “Of course. Where should I take him?”
“My house.” Ivin cast a short spell on the dog to put it into a deep sleep and slow the flow of blood. “Tell my sisters this dog needs the magic of the purple moon and they can prepare it for me. Also, tell them if they refuse you, they’ll wish they’d never looked to my doorstep for safety. I know where their enemies are and I’ll turn them over as easy as taking my next breath.”
Hayden nodded to Ivin and began to wrap herself around the wolf.
In a moment, they had disappeared.
Again the crowd cheered.
Bala fell to the ground with a whimper, feeling dark terror rising up from within. She felt Luxe wrap his arms around her. She vaguely heard the commotion going on. None of it mattered.
“I’ve got my bike, she’s pretty and fast. I’ll get you back home sooner than anyone else, Ivin.” Kane offered.
Ivin looked briefly to the others, but then spoke for herself. “Agreed.”
He braced her hand in his to help her up off the ground, but when he looked at her attire, he rec
onsidered his offer.
“I hadn’t considered what you were wearing.” He raised an eyebrow at her.
She looked down at her long dress. It was lightweight in fabric, but dragged the ground slightly.
With a flick of her wrist, a haze of purple smoke surrounded her for no more than the flash of an eye. When it left, her hair was slicked back in a long braid, she had on leather pants and a black knit top that hung off one shoulder.
“Never underestimate me, Kane.” She gave him a knowing smile steeped in confidence.
He chuckled. “It will never happen again.”
He bowed accordingly.
She rolled her eyes.
Ivin released the bubble she’d erected to protect the crowd, and realized the containment crew had arrived and had erected their own, only their bubble would erase all memory of the event from anyone who stepped through it, not under a protection spell, or carrying a sacred amulet.
“Please save him, Ivin.” Bala pleaded.
Ivin gave her a quick squeeze.
“I have every intention to do so, Bala.” She pressed her palm against Bala’s cheek before she turned to Kane. “You ready?”
He gave her a brief nod and gestured with his arm for her to lead. She looked back for just a moment before stepping through the first containment bubble.
“See you back at the fort.” She smiled, then left with Kane without looking back.
“We need to get Bala out of here, Luxe.” Wraithe spoke soft, but firm.
The surrounding crowd was moving from cheering to simply moving about their business as the containment spell washed over everyone.
Luxe stood and went to pull Bala up into his arms, when he heard a soft whimper. He looked down to see the smallest puppy he’d ever seen, ragged and dirty, hiding behind her skirts.
“How in the world…”
“It’s Blu’s protector. He knows now. He won’t attack us again.” Bala reached out and scooped up the small puppy, holding it close to her chest.
The Failsafe Prophecies Page 6
