by Lori Ryan
“I’m guessing you know why I’m here, Floarea?”
“Hmmmm. Time for that visit for Aurel? Sorry. The children aren’t here at the moment.”
So, she’d been waiting for him. She’d prepared enough to send the children into hiding somewhere. Gideon scanned the group. Several of them wore the Eye of Mirga, and he wondered if that was a calculated move as well. He had a feeling Floarea was trying to hide who was using the relic. At first, he’d thought it might be her, but now he wasn’t so sure. She was a born leader. A born protector. She’d probably come to his hotel room trying to gather information. To see if he knew who was stealing the magic.
Now he wondered if even she knew, or if she was merely protecting them all. If the identity of the thief didn’t matter to her. She would protect her family.
Floarea herself wore a carved talisman in the shape of the Eye of Mirga around her neck. One witch had a bag strapped across her body with the eye painted on it. A warlock in the group wore a belt buckle with the design etched into it. All were possible artifacts that could have belonged to Guibran himself.
The memory from the other night still ate at the edge of Gideon’s mind. He knew he’d seen the symbol somewhere else when they’d been here before, but the memory was fluid, and it slipped from his mind whenever he tried to zero in on it.
“I won’t let you harm my family, Boguman. I don’t care if you do have the Baba Yaga standing with you. No one is going to harm my people.”
“Then I suggest you turn over the magic thief, and let them face their punishment.” Baba Yaga stepped forward, standing next to Gideon as she spoke. “It will be easier that way. Less bloodshed.” She smiled so serenely as she spoke, but Gideon knew no one would be stupid enough to be fooled by that. He had to admit, his sister was scary as shit when she wanted to be.
Gideon didn’t look at Carol, keeping his eyes trained on the Komolvo before him. “I don’t think she has a clue who’s siphoning the magic. I think Floarea is as in the dark about it as we are, but she’s willing to put her entire family on the line to protect one person who’s thoughtlessly putting them all in danger.”
“It’s what family does,” Floarea said, but Gideon was no longer listening to her. He was watching the couple at the back of the group. Tink and Minerva. Specifically Minerva, who seemed to be goading Tink into something. Their whispers grew louder as the rest of the Komolvo turned shocked eyes on them.
“Tell her. Show her. They all need to know you don’t need protection, Tink. They need to see your power, your strength, as I’ve seen it.”
Wanda’s description of Tink and Minerva came back to Gideon then. Minerva and her thirst for power. Her claim that Tink wasn’t all everyone thought he was. That there was more to him than people realized.
They’d all assumed she’d been talking about sex, and Gideon had bought into the explanation as well. Damn it. They should have seen there was something more there. But before Gideon could act, all hell broke loose.
He watched as magic seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once, filling Tink’s body. It was grotesque in a way. He appeared bloated and swollen with it, and it was plain to see he wasn’t meant to hold that kind of magic.
Some people could handle taking in that kind of power, but Tink was never made for that. He was never meant to be powerful, and it didn’t sit well with him. The power overtook him quickly, as Minerva shouted directions at him. When he struck out with fireballs and lightning strikes in Gideon’s direction, the shots went wild, setting fire to the encampment around them.
Tink roared in frustration and reared back again, as if to fire on them, but Gideon struck first. His fireballs hit their mark, striking Tink in the chest. But the big man didn’t go down. He was too drenched in the stolen magic to go down easily.
Around him Gideon saw his friends and sister jump into the fray. Mac in his wolf form, tackling Luca. Zelda and Baba Yaga striking out at the others. Gideon focused on Minerva. She stood by Tink yelling directions, telling him where to strike, and Tink did his best to focus the power within him, but he just wasn’t up to the task.
From the corner of his eye, Gideon spotted Floarea. She watched the melee before disappearing. Would she really run if her family was in danger? Gideon didn’t think so, but he didn’t have time to figure out what she was doing as one of Tink’s fireballs came at him. The warlock was improving his aim. Gideon dove to the right, shielding himself behind the corner of one of the upturned homes of the Komolvo.
A glance at Baba Yaga and Zelda showed him they were taking out many of the Komolvo, but were also struggling against the sheer volume of witches and warlocks battling against them. The cats were definitely a big help, pun intended. The fat furballs were able to turn any magic coming at Zelda back onto the witch or warlock who’d sent the hit.
Mac had taken out Luca and was now squaring off with Harmen, the warlock’s size apparently not fazing Mac in the least.
Gideon came out on the other side of the trailer, found his mark, and aimed straight for Tink. His mind was screaming at him to take Minerva out, that the best way to harm Tink was to harm Minerva, but he was sickened at the thought of harming a witch. He simply hadn’t been raised that way.
When Tink began to multiply the number of fireballs he was able to launch at once, his aim gaining ground with each one, Gideon knew he had to do something. He sent a shockwave toward Minerva, stunning her. As she dropped to the ground in a heap, Tink roared in agony and turned to her. The battle would be over shortly, Gideon knew.
He looked around to find the source of Tink’s power. Where in the name of the Goddess was this warlock pulling his magic from?
That was when it hit Gideon. The van. Tink lived in a VW camper, and smack on the back of it was the Eye of Mirga. Good Goddess. No wonder Gwen had used the word siphoning when she described what the thief was doing. Tink was literally siphoning the magic in and out of the van like a gas tank. That made sense now.
If Tink was able to put the magic back into the gas tank, to store it, that would allow him to move around without Gwen or anyone else seeing that he had the stolen magic. No one would see the magic unless he chose to show them. He must have shown Minerva, but no one else.
While Tink bent over Minerva, trying to revive her, Gideon raised his arms and turned toward the van. Could it really be as simple as a silly van from the 1970s—albeit a cool one, he had to admit. Take out the van, and he’d likely stop the connection and drain Tink’s magic before anyone else was hurt or killed.
“Gideon, stop!” Floarea’s voice rang out above the din of the fighting, causing everyone to freeze where they were and turn. Gideon’s heart shredded when he saw her. She stood atop one of the overturned trailers, holding Gwen by the neck. The look on Floarea’s face told him she’d have no problem killing Gwen to gain what she wanted.
“Take your people and leave, or I kill her, Gideon.”
As if he needed her to spell it out for him.
Gideon raised his hands. “Be careful, Floarea. She’s the anchor. You hurt her, you very well might kill us all.”
Floarea merely laughed. “It’s a chance I’m willing to take. I’m not going to stand here and watch you slaughter my family.”
Gideon nodded, trying to think. He needed to get Gwen to safety. As he began to form an idea in his head, he heard a guttural cry come from beside him.
“You hurt Minerva!”
Well, shit. Tink was back in the game. Gideon spun, getting ready to ward off a blow, but it never came. As he watched in horror, Tink raised his arms and somehow pulled Gwen to him. It was more of a fierce yank than a pull. He wrenched her straight from a speechless Floarea and dragged Gwen’s fighting form across the field to him like she was nothing more than a rag doll.
Gideon started forward, seeing Baba Yaga, Mac, and Zelda all do the same, only to be struck by a weakness unlike anything he’d ever felt. He fell to his knees as Zelda, Baba Yaga, and every other witch and warlock
did the same. Mac remained standing. He turned, standing over Zelda’s felled body and scanning for the threat.
The threat was Tink. Gideon could see it, but he couldn’t speak. He was too weak to tell Mac what was happening. Tink was somehow using Gwen to draw the magic from every witch and warlock she was connected to.
And he wasn’t just targeting their side, either. All of the Komolvo had fallen to the ground as well, too weak to stand or fight, or even cry out. Gideon had a feeling Tink didn’t care who he hurt at this point.
Gwen was screaming, but Gideon was powerless to reach her as Tink continued his attack.
Gideon’s head fell to the ground, eyes still open. He could watch Gwen, see her struggle, see the horror on her face as she saw what was happening, but he couldn’t move toward her. Couldn’t call to her or calm her, soothe her in any way. Couldn’t save her.
***
Gwen fought against the draw, knowing what Tink was doing. She knew this would destroy every witch and warlock when their magic was drained, but there was nothing she could do. Tink was too powerful for her. Too strong for her to stop him as he siphoned more and more. He was drawing on all of the magic in the world now, pulling it into himself, and she didn’t know if he would die before he killed everyone else, or if they would all be killed by what he was doing.
She had a feeling he was only going to succeed in killing them all. She pictured all of the magic in the world and tried to pull back against him. For a few precious moments, she succeeded, drawing thread after thread of it back into her. But Tink caught on to what she was doing and struck out at her physically, shaking her.
For the first time, Gwen realized how vulnerable she’d made herself by taking this form. She’d been foolish to try this. Foolish to think she could come to earth in this form and not be harmed. Not get everyone killed.
Or maybe she simply hadn’t cared as much before. She’d been selfish when she came here. Selfish and caring more about her own experiences, her own chance to know what it was like to live.
But now she cared about these witches and warlocks who would die because of her stupidity. She loved them. Loved Gideon with all her heart. And she was going to be forced to watch him die.
Gwen closed her eyes and tried to pull those little tendrils of magic back in again, but it was no use. Her eyes sprang open again and she watched as Gideon and the others fell to the ground. As Mac hovered protectively over Zelda and looked around wildly to determine who to attack to save his mate.
She watched and felt the tears slip down her face as Gideon closed his eyes.
Break the threads. Don’t pull them. Snap them.
There it was. Knowledge planted in her head, just as the Goddess had always done. That one-way communication the Goddess favored. Break the threads. What did she mean?
You’re more powerful than he is. The Mirga line is your line, Gwen. You are Mirga from far back, from much older, more powerful magic than Tink, than any of the Mirga. Take your magic back and snap the threads.
Gwen felt a new magic within her now. One she knew instinctively was her own. It was familiar somehow, and it was powerful. That was why she recognized the Mirga eye. The symbol was the symbol of her family from a time long ago, well past the point of remembering, but somehow her soul had recognized it.
She focused on the small threads of magic she could see leading from herself to Tink, and this time, rather than focus on pulling them to her, she mentally cut each one. She reached out and snapped the connection. As she did so, she felt a brutal pain race through her, like nothing she’d ever felt. Each cut brought more agony. It was sickening and horrifying, but she held on long enough to cut the last of the threads, before the world went black around her.
Chapter Seventeen
Gideon felt the moment the pull on his magic stopped. He was still weak, but without the drain, he could stand. Gwen was on the ground, unconscious and bloody. Tink stood above her, fat and swollen and grotesque with the engorged magic running through him. He epitomized the word monster in a way Gideon, even as the Boguman, never had. Gideon drew now on the power of the Boguman.
He transformed into the monster intended to frighten children into behaving. He called on every ounce of Boguman power and magic the Goddess had bestowed upon him when he took the job. Baba Yaga joined him, standing beside him. Then Zelda and Mac were there as well.
Gideon looked at Tink and knew what had to be done. He only hoped it was enough to let him save Gwen. To allow him to get to her in time.
“The van,” he called out to others, and they all aimed at the van at once. His black Boguman power, Zelda’s blood red, and Baba Yaga’s green. Fabio joined them, adding silver and gold. They struck it at once with all they had, directly in the center of the Eye of Mirga.
The van exploded, and with a rush of powerful energy, the blast came toward them, flattening all of them. Flattening everything around them.
Gideon felt it then. Felt all of his power and magic, all that had been lost, flow back into his body. He looked to where Tink had stood and saw nothing but a deflated, empty shell. There was nothing left but skin and clothes, as though someone had shed a Tink costume and left it lying in the grass.
Gwen was gone.
His Gwen was nowhere to be seen.
Chapter Eighteen
Gwen stood and looked around, trying to get her bearings. She was exhausted, utterly drained, but as she looked down, she realized she was still there. She was still in corporeal form.
She flexed her fingers and saw bright teal flames shoot from the ends. Well, that was new.
She looked around, confused. Someone should be here with her. This wasn’t right. Someone was meant to be here. Try as she might, she couldn’t even figure out where she was, much less who she thought should be here with her, but she was sure someone was missing.
And what the hell were those teal flames about?
She was in a field, but she wasn’t alone. There were people nearby. And houses on fire. All around her was destruction, but she seemed to have been thrown clear of it somehow. Her body ached and screamed at her as she struggled to stand.
She could see witches and warlocks at the center of the destruction. Gwen began to walk toward them, and something about that felt right. She knew, without a doubt, the person she was supposed to be with was there. If she could get to him, everything would be okay.
She still didn’t have a clue who he was, but whatever. She’d figure that out later. This felt right.
“Gwen!”
Yes, she thought. That’s him.
And then she saw him. The most handsome warlock she’d ever laid eyes on, running as hard for her as she was running for him. His eyes met hers and she felt tears come to her cheeks. He was hers. And she was his.
“Gwen,” he breathed, as he pulled her into his arms. He held her and kissed her and the memories came back in a flood. He was Gideon. Her Gideon.
“Gideon.”
“You’re okay. You’re here.”
“Yes.”
“Do we have much time?” he asked, pulling back and looking into her eyes. She knew what he was asking. He was asking if the Goddess would allow her to keep this form for a short while so they could say goodbye.
“I think we do,” she said, her own breath now coming in gulps. “I think we have forever.” As she said the words, she knew they were right. The Goddess had given them forever when she’d severed the connection. To save magic, the Goddess had been forced to let Gwen go, to let her stay in this form.
“There’s a new anchor in my place,” she said, looking into the eyes of the warlock she loved.
“A new anchor?” Gideon looked at her. “But who?”
Chapter Nineteen
Gwen looked at the wreckage around them. It looked like a bomb had gone off in the center of the Komolvo encampment. Gideon held her tightly, his arms wrapped around her. If she was right about what she’d seen in that last moment when she’d split the thread of magic, t
here would be one witch missing now.
“Where is Tink?” she asked, and when he nodded toward a disheveled form on the ground, she looked away. Pressing her head to his chest, she cried. Somehow she knew Tink had done what he had for love. He loved Minerva, and she wouldn’t have given him the time of day if he didn’t have any power to offer her.
She looked around at the people surrounding her now. Baba Yaga and the others were rounding up the Komolvo. Gwen had a feeling they would have to pay some kind of price for fighting beside Tink, but she didn’t want to think about that right now. Floarea had paid a very high price for defending him.
“Floarea is gone,” Zelda said, coming up to them just as Baba Yaga joined them.
“The Goddess took her,” Gwen said, not at all sure how she felt about that. She knew what a lonely existence it was to be the anchor of magic. “She’s the new anchor of magic.”
Gideon shook his head. “Well, she was loyal to a fault, I’ll give her that. Maybe she’ll make a great anchor.”
“She can’t very well cause any harm there. There’s really very little the anchor can do.” Gwen shuddered. She was almost afraid to believe she was finally free. And the truth was, Floarea had made her own bed. If this was the punishment the Goddess had chosen for her, chances were it was actually a lot more lenient that what the Council might have doled out.
“Gideon,” Gwen cried out, as she watched Harmen raise his arms, preparing to hurl the mother of all fireballs at Gideon. “No!”
Gwen didn’t know what she planned to do. She simply raised her hands to try to stop the next few seconds from taking place. To stop Harmen from hurting Gideon. She never imagined the teal magic she’d seen sparking at the tips of her fingers earlier would shoot out, nailing Harmen dead center in the chest. The Komolvo warlock was knocked back five feet, landing on his ass.
“Look at you go,” Gideon said, pride in his voice and his smile as he pulled Gwen into him, wrapping his arms around her. “My witch has powers now.”
