Malcasta gasped as her skinned hands gripped the steel, stopping me from driving the sword deeper into her. Her strength was formidable. So was mine—and I had a partner in this fight. It was two against one now. My eyes narrowed into determined slits, and I tapped into Cyon’s centuries-old hatred of witches. With a ferocious roar, more beast than man, my demon hand tore into Malcasta’s chest and closed around the pulsating Witch’s Heart. I tore the crystal free and hurled it aside. The relic landed in the snow about sixty feet away.
Furious, Malcasta head-butted me full force. As I slumped, winded, she raised her hand to snatch up the witch’s heart with her magic.
“I’m so sorry, Malcasta,” Cyon’s words of apology caught both the witch and myself off guard. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me.”
Her gaze went black. “What game are you playing now, demon?”
I was asking myself the same question.
“I once loved your mother.”
The witch froze. “No,” she breathed.
“She never talked about your father, did she? Did she ever mention the Templar Knight she seduced and turned into an agent of darkness, only to turn her back on him?”
At times like this, I really wished Cyon would clue me in on his plans before he sprang them. Was he playing a mind game with Malcasta, or was he telling the truth? Had the Ice Witch been the one who betrayed Cyon all those centuries ago? And were Damona and Malcasta the unfortunate fruit of their unholy union?
“You’re lying, demon.”
“I’m telling you the truth. My name is Cyon, and I am your father.”
The truth sank in even for me. Bavmara was the Ice Witch!
Before Malcasta could answer him, Archer’s whip whistled through the air again. Bavmara pivoted in the direction of the sound. The blazing dark eyes in her skinned face widened. This time Archer wasn’t aiming for Bavmara but the Ice Witch’s heart. The tail of her magical whip connected with the relic, and the blue crystal shattered.
While she was still stunned, my hand shot out and closed around the shimmering orb hanging off Malcasta’s necklace. With a savage snarl, I yanked the jewel containing Skulick’s soul from her neck. The orb felt hot to the touch, my partner’s life force still strong despite his magical imprisonment.
As the Ice Witch’s Heart shattered, Malcasta’s cry of defeat reverberated through the icy park. My attention was fixed on the Cursed City’s skyline. Within seconds, the steel towers lit up like Christmas trees as the technology stripped from our reality returned.
Without the heart, the effects of Malcasta’s spell had reversed themselves. I felt the reassuring weight of my cell back in my pocket. Sometimes I hated how addicted folks had become to their devices, but I could have kissed the screen of my phone in that moment.
Above us, the lightning storm abated, and it stopped snowing.
“It’s over, my child. You’ve lost,” Cyon said.
Malcasta glared at me. I was eager to bring down my sword on the spell-slinger, but it was the demon’s turn to hesitate.
“She is my daughter,” Cyon said.
Are you kidding me, bud?
My muscles locked up, unable to drive the sword into the crazy witch. Fortunately, nothing was holding Archer back. She snuck up on Malcasta, the whip coiled in her hand. Any second now, she would strike…
Sensing the danger, Malcasta raised the arm of her robe and transformed into a flock of crows. The black birds blasted into the night air and vanished into the darkness. I had let her escape. Well, technically Cyon had let her escape. Grim certainty gripped me—we hadn’t seen the last of the witch. I also sensed I’d be having a serious heart-to-heart with my demon buddy in the near future. No more secrets. No more lies.
I walked up to Archer, and to my surprise, she wrapped herself around me in a fierce embrace. For a moment, the park turned battlefield faded, our world reduced to the heat of our bodies and the passion between us as my lips met hers.
We pulled away from the kiss with reluctance. I saw my own conflicted emotions mirrored in Archer’s eyes. Passion. Fear. Uncertainty. And…love? There was another conversation I’d need to have soon.
My eyes found an exorcist still struggling to climb out of the snowy hole that had opened beneath him. It was none other than Father Cabrera, a little disheveled but no worse for wear. He spotted me in the same moment and raised his cross.
My features grew taut with determination. I couldn’t do this anymore. Couldn’t keep running, keep looking over my shoulder. I refused to be to hunted like a monster for the rest of my days. Mind made up, I strode toward Cabrera, slipped off my glove and held out my demon hand at the exorcist.
“Truce?” I asked.
There was a moment of hesitation before Cabrera’s hand clasped my demon claw, and he allowed me to pull him out of the frozen hole. The temperatures had already jumped up. Soon the snow would melt and the park would look the way it should this early in the fall.
I faced Cabrera and the other stunned exorcists. Archer stood between us, her eyes flickering with hope.
I took a deep breath. “It’s true that I’m possessed, but not in the usual way. Cyon has joined us in our battle against the darkness. We have saved you all twice now. I might be a little different, but I’m still the same man. And I will keep fighting the nightmares that plague this city. All I ask of you is to let me do my job.”
I turned away from the crowd of stunned Vatican commandos. I didn’t think they were going to shoot me in the back with their newly returned guns.
“Where are you going?” Cabrera called out after me.
I held up the glowing orb without turning around. “My partner needs me.”
And with these words, I walked out of the park, the orb containing Skulick’s soul secure in my gloved demon hand. Archer fell in step beside me, her crossbow slung over one shoulder and the coiled Witch Whip in her hand.
We had defeated Malcasta, but it was just a matter of time before a new monster would descend on this city. The influence of the Crimson Circle was growing, and my inevitable confrontation with Morgal was drawing closer.
Dark days loomed ahead, but I wouldn’t be facing them alone.
THE END
Mike Raven will return.
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Also by WILLIAM MASSA
THE SHADOW DETECTIVE SERIES
Cursed City
Soul Catcher
Blood Rain
Demon Dawn
Skull Master
Ghoul Night
THE OCCULT ASSASSIN SERIES
Damnation Code
Apocalypse Soldier
Spirit Breaker
Soul Jacker
THE GARGOYLE KNIGHT SERIES
Gargoyle Knight
Gargoyle Quest
STAND ALONES
Fear the Light
About the Author
William Massa is a produced screenwriter and bestselling Amazon author. His film credits include Return to House on Haunted Hill and he has sold pitches and scripts to Warner, USA TV, Silver Pictures, Dark Castle, Maverick and Sony.
William has lived in New York, Florida, Europe and now resides in Venice Beach surrounded by skaters and surfers. He writes science fiction and dark fantasy/urban fantasy horror with an action-adventure flavor.
Writing can be a solitary pursuit but rewriting can be a group effort. I strive to make each book better than the last and feedback is incredibly helpful. If you have notes, thoughts or co
mments about this book or want to contact me, feel free to contact me at:
[email protected]
Witch Wars (Shadow Detective Book 7) Page 13
