Renegade (The Cross-Worlds Coven Series Book 5)

by Phil Stern

  It was the Prime Minister’s pistol. Gingerly holding the weapon between two fingers, Wendily noticed how rusty and old it was. Giving the trigger an experimental pull, she was unsurprised when the gun failed to fire.

  Laughing, she spun about in the chair to survey Highsmith Square through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. Large fires were tended in several strategic locations, their flickering illumination allowing repair crews to work around the clock. By now all the rubble had been cleared, with reconstruction already begun on the parliament building. Soon, it would be as if nothing had ever happened at all.

  All the more so if her little plan worked. Tossing the gun into the wastepaper basket, she eagerly rose and exited the office once more.

  *****

  As with Highsmith Square, the waterfront was well lit by both standard oil lamps and hastily constructed fire pits. Yet unlike the government sector, Donlon harbor was almost entirely devoid of people. Tightly cordoned off by the police hours before, and then swept several times since, the area was as close to being sanitized as Victorian-era technology would allow.

  Most of the demons were already aboard a single, large steamship situated along the longest pier. Prowling the top deck, fearfully peering back at the city, they were clearly anxious to leave. Even in the midst of their supernatural colleagues, and with a mixed force of bobbies and soldiers mobbing the inner harbor, the fiends imagined an all-out magical assault at any moment.

  Indeed, by this point only Max, George, and Lady Ingrith remained on the pier. “And we really can’t convince you to come with us?” the Conclave’s president asked, almost tenderly touching Max’s arm. “With witches cavorting all about?”

  “We can’t leave Wendily all alone, now can we?” Still in his fine suit, Lord Osler idly twisted his snake ring. “Someone has to keep an eye on her.”

  “Better you than me, mate.” Laughing, George swept an arm back at the metropolis. “I’ve seen them witches in action, I have. Nasty, nasty lot.”

  “Wendily has sealed her own fate, but you don’t have to share it.” Ingrith nodded at the huge ship beside them. “Come with us. We can build up our strength overseas, come back in force.”

  “Or maybe even skip out on this whole rotten place,” George added. “The universe is still there, it is. We could all just squat down in some other dimension for a few centuries, snug as peas in a pod, I say.”

  “You go.” Trying to look regretful, Max sighed. “Wendily can’t be trusted. We need our own eyes and ears here. I’ll join you all soon enough.”

  “It really isn’t necessary,” Ingrith objected. “I suspect the witches will take care of our Wendily problem soon enough.”

  “Perhaps. We’ll see.” Pointedly shaking their hands, Max took a step back. “Safe travels.”

  Watching them embark, Max waved and smiled as the ship pulled away. Minutes later it was surging across the huge bay, heading for the far off harbor entrance.

  Spinning about, Max purposefully marched back down the pier and got into a waiting carriage. Soon the horses were clopping along the inner waterfront towards the main road.

  Caylee was still out there, somewhere near the city. Leaning back in the plush carriage, eyes drifting closed, he easily pictured the lovely sorceress on the yacht. Fighting his own kind with deadly precision, her entire body suffused with powerful magic, she’d been the most lovely creature in the entire universe. Nearly quivering, the demon languidly recalled the exact shape of Caylee’s legs and hips, the feel of her skin pressing against his in the lower decks.

  Letting out a deep sigh, Max stared out into the night. Intellectually, he knew this obsession was merely an artificial magnification of his last fully human experiences. Indeed, such things were a natural byproduct of the ascension process. Surely the trauma of being eaten by a snake and virtually dying on the beach before his takeover only added to the effect.

  Still, what a beautiful woman she was! The demon desired her more than anything he could possibly imagine. Not as a potential host, or even an enemy to vanquish. Quite simply, he was in the thrall to her overwhelming, utter feminine perfection.

  Humming to himself as the carriage clattered along, enraptured by his own graphic mental perversions, Max carefully considered his next step.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  SLOWLY DRIFTING AWAKE, Caylee’s hand reflexively drifted up to her earth stone. But for the first time in over two weeks the hesitant dread accompanying this simple morning ritual was unwarranted. Once more at full power, magic eagerly pulsed out over the entire room, warming both her battered body and wounded soul.

  Perhaps a little too eagerly. In the next room she could sense Tiffany irritably sigh and roll over. Quickly corralling her intruding magical presence, the blonde sorceress half-sat up in bed.

  Pend was sprawled out beside her, huge paws and long whiskers lightly twitching. Gently stroking the tiger princess until she woke, the purring cat contentedly curled around her favorite human’s outstretched leg. Scratching her neck for several minutes, Caylee then carefully disentangled herself before magically changing into standard jeans, boots, and white shirt.

  A brief inspection in the dusty, full-length mirror brought a warm smile. She’d missed seeing herself this way. Skulking about in Victorian rags had become too familiar, a disguise both to others but gradually herself as well. Adding a nice belt and thin silver bracelet, she carefully combed her rich blonde into a relaxed, breezy style. Her new Coven Stick was the final piece, almost jauntily riding on the teenager’s right hip.

  Firmly warning Pend to be quiet, they both slipped out into the second floor hallway before lightly treading down the creaking staircase. Carefully padding beside her on the unfamiliar stairs, the cub finally stumbled and banged into a post near the bottom.

  Wincing and standing still, Caylee was relieved that none of her Coven-mates came charging out prepared for battle. They’d all been through a lot, and needed rest before beginning the journey home. Patting the apologetic tiger princess on the head, they continued through the drawing room and front door out onto the grand porch.

  It was about a half-hour after dawn, the wind blowing once more. Sitting at the top of the rickety stairs leading down to the yard, a member of Pend’s royal guard looked back to give his mistress a slow, contented cat blink. Letting out an appreciative purr in reply, the cub eagerly sprang past him down into the long, inviting grass.

  The night’s security arrangements had apparently gone off without a hitch. The unicorns had patrolled the yard itself, providing close-in protection for the manor home. Two of the tigers had acted as a skirmishing force, scouting out into the surrounding woods, while a third cat had rested by the front door. Teleporting about, the royal guard had switched positions and duties at regular intervals. Presumably the uni’s had also rotated in some nap time, so that everybody was relatively refreshed for the upcoming day.

  So despite Tiffany’s severe doubts, both magical species had worked flawlessly together. Maybe Miss Know-It-All had been spending too much time in mundane dimensions? Giggling to herself, Caylee walked up beside the adult cat. Idly resting a hand on his soft head, the sorceress watched Pend happily dashing, pouncing, and teleporting about in the soft morning light.

  It was only then that she noticed the fourth member of their team out near the far wood line. The strange sorceress was nose-to-nose with a unicorn, gently stroking his flank. Tears freely running down her cheeks, the brunette enchantress suddenly lunged forward to bestow a warm, almost desperate neck hug.

  Feeling almost like a voyeur, Caylee uncomfortably looked away. Why was she so sad? The fact was she knew virtually nothing about this girl, including her name. Surely they’d met before in some fashion, even if it was just passing on the street in Haven? It was all terribly odd, really, even before factoring in her aggressive and demeaning attitude towards herself.

  Where was all that anger coming from? Perhaps she thought Caylee didn’t realize how badly she’d s
crewed things up here? Or worse yet, believed Tiffany was babying her in some way? Thoughtfully brushing back her hair, the blonde magician looked at it from her perspective. And yes, if the roles were reversed, she could see herself being a little resentful as well.

  She also might be embarrassed by yesterday’s attack on a Coven-mate. It had been a pretty drastic over-reaction, though upon reflection one could appreciate how such a misunderstanding might occur.

  Taking a deep breath, Caylee lightly descended the stairs and confidently struck out across the grass in her direction. Whatever the case they were Coven-mates, and needed to support one another. Obviously the air needed to be cleared between them, the sooner the better.

  Bouncing along beside her, Pend frequently swatted at the sorceress’ legs and hair. Tornado also came trotting out from the side of the house, where he’d apparently taken a position underneath Tiffany’s window. Carefully butting Caylee on the side, the unicorn also wanted to play. Dodging all her animal friends as best she could, the young enchantress soon approached her Coven-mate.

  Still next to her unicorn, the other girl had warily observed Caylee’s advance across the yard. “So I guess what they say about you is true.” Dark hair also blowing about, her earth stone softly glowed in the morning light. “They all seem to adore you on general principal.”

  “I do have an SA.” Uncomfortably pausing some ten feet away, Caylee shrugged. “I can talk to animals. Telepathically, that is.”

  “A special ability. How interesting.” Patting the stallion on the flank, she now sent him trotting off with a final slap. “What a lucky girl you are.”

  “Look, I get it.” With a flick of her wrist, Caylee sent Tornado off as well. “I’ve fucked everything up here. You think I don’t know that, but I do. Trust me.”

  Pend flopped down in the grass between them, pointedly rolling about with her belly exposed. Unlike the two equines, the tiger cub clearly wasn’t interested in allowing the humans any privacy.

  “Trust you?” Bending down, Jenla expertly scratched Pend’s neck and tummy. “That might be asking a lot.”

  Arms folded, Caylee studied her fellow sorceress. “Have we even met before? To be honest, I don’t even know your name.”

  “Oh, we’ve met.” Glancing up, the enchantress fixed her with a hardened gaze. “That I assure you.”

  “When? I hate to say it, but I really don’t remember...”

  “My name is Jenla.” Slowly rising, she brushed some spare grass from her jeans. “Right now you know me as a ten-year-old child. In the future, we’ll be deadly enemies. Or would have been, anyway, if I hadn’t come back in time to stop you.”

  Staring into Jenla’s hardened gaze, Caylee felt all sensation drain from her body. “I don’t understand.”

  “It’s a lot, I know.”

  “You came back in time?” Almost numbly avoiding Pend’s bored swipe, a soft stab of panic burst forth deep within her stomach. “But how is that even...”

  “The details really don’t matter.” Glancing about, Jenla watched Tornado trot out to the wood line, while the other unicorn took station by the manor home. “But if left to your own devices, the demons would have eventually captured and enslaved you. You would have then led an attack on your sisters, and several of our key dimensions, that would wreck the Coven.”

  “What?” Unbidden, the horrible sensation of Wendily slowly penetrating her mind came rushing back. “No, that can’t be true!”

  “Oh, it is. Your unauthorized, stupid stunt here virtually destroyed us.” Her breath quickening, Jenla’s earth stone revved up just a touch. “Trust me. I lived through it.”

  Just then a particularly large species of native squirrel hopped out on a branch of the old, tall tree in the center of the yard. Initially feigning disinterest, Pend suddenly bolted up and raced over to the dead trunk. Huge claws biting deep into the wood, she raced vertically up and then horizontally out onto the branch itself.

  Slow to react, the squirrel had nowhere to go. Receiving a raking slash from Pend’s claws, it tumbled down to the ground. Triumphantly landing on top of it, the tiger princess dispatched it’s prey with a single crunch.

  “But I don’t understand.” For some reason, Caylee found herself transfixed by the sight of her gentle cub greedily rip the squirrel apart. “I escaped from Wendily in the harbor.”

  “That time, I suppose you did.” Raising an eyebrow, Jenla dispassionately watched Pend gorge on the squirrel before turning once more to the younger sorceress. “But you would have been taken and turned. Maybe even yesterday, in Highsmith Square, if we hadn’t intervened.”

  “And you know this because you’re from the future?” Also tearing her eyes from the happy cub, Caylee’s tear-stained gaze flicked back to Jenla. “That’s really true?”

  “It is,” she mercilessly confirmed, strolling a few steps closer. “Look at me. Take a good, long look.”

  “What?” Stepping back, Caylee took a deep breath. “What am I looking at?”

  “I’m the girl you helped rescue from Tethra.”

  “Tethra? Are you saying...”

  “A man snuck around to attack us. You killed him on the beach.”

  “I remember!” Caylee snapped, arms now tightly folded. “That was awful!”

  “Was it? Poor you,” Jenla softly replied. “You don’t know what awful is, you witch. You have no fucking idea.”

  An especially strong gust whipped long sorceress hair all around. A loose shutter on the manor home loudly flapped about before crashing down on the covered porch. Laconically romping out to survey the damage, the unconcerned tiger stationed there merely teleported up to a safer vantage point on top of the roof itself.

  “So what do you want?” Caylee demanded. “To gloat? To tell me how terribly screwed up this all is? Because I already know that!”

  “Cheer up. Actually, it’s not as bad as you think.” Jenla briefly turned to watch an intrigued Pend trot a few dozen yards back towards her rooftop guardian. Clearly, the cub hadn’t thought of exploring up there. “To be honest, virtually everyone assumed you had willingly joined the demons on your own. That you were a traitor to us all.”

  “What!” the younger girl exploded. Earth stone whirling, one of the covering unicorns started towards them in alarm. “That’s absurd!”

  “We didn’t think so. From our perspective nothing else made any sense.”

  “And who the fuck is we?” With an angry backhand wave, Caylee ordered the unicorn to stay away. “Are you talking about people in the future?”

  “Indeed.” Conjuring a small bucket of oats, Jenla instead signaled the equine to approach. “To be blunt, your treachery is a generally accepted fact.”

  “That’s bullshit!” Glaring hard at the disobedient unicorn, all of the morning’s serenity completely dissipated. “No one could possibly think that I would...”

  “See this?” Almost nonchalantly yanking her shirt from a shoulder, Jenla revealed a deep, ugly burn scar. “That’s your handiwork.”

  “No it isn’t!” Taking a step forward, she angrily broke a stick in half with a hard heel. “Stop lying!”

  “Well, to be precise, it will be your doing,” the older brunette insisted, releasing the shirt to lightly stroke the munching uni’s neck. “That’s why I was sent back in time to stop you.”

  “To stop me?” A confused Caylee looked more closely at the other woman’s face. Now that she’d had a menlar to process, this really did seem like an older version of the young girl she knew. “From becoming a demon, you mean?”

  “To stop you from destroying the Coven!” This hardened, unfamiliar Jenla let out an almost obscene laugh. “Trust me, Caylee. Nobody gives two shits what happens to you in the process, that I assure you.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Well, almost no one. Though I must say...”

  “Stop lying!” An angry stomp sent half a broken stick plunging into the soil. “No one could ever think of me as a traitor!”


  “Really? You think so?”

  “I know so!”

  “Well, you’re right in a way. Traitor is much too mild a word.” Glancing up, Jenla briefly let the sun warm her face. “Because in my future, Caylee Nuxan is the most vile, evil creature ever to wear an earth stone!”

  Mouth opening for an angry retort, no words came out. Suddenly off-balance, the beautiful countryside began shimmering and spinning. A hot flash of magic exploded in Caylee’s chest, sending her earth stone racing out of control.

  It was happening again, just like yesterday afternoon in Highsmith Square! But having been fixed in the meantime, her magical talisman was no longer artificially restrained. Grabbing it with both hands, the young sorceress tried to relax, but only managed to become hyperventilated.

  “Caylee!” As if from a distance, she heard faux-Jenla call out her name. “Control yourself!”

  But that was already quite difficult. A wave of incoherent magical power shot out in all directions, whipping everything around. The tree upon which Pend had just caught the squirrel came crashing down, while a spare log was sent tumbling into a weed-choked fence. A surge of energy flowed up and over the manor home, sending the rooftop tiger leaping about.

  Obviously perplexed, the magically-immune unicorn standing by Jenla instinctively wandered forward. Shielding the sorceress from Caylee’s outburst, multi-colored sparks erupted along his flank and tail. With a mighty leap Pend also took shelter behind them, poking her head out from behind Jenla’s legs in alarm.

  By now frightened herself, Caylee spun about to see Tornado again stationed underneath Tiffany’s window. Advancing several steps, tail swishing about, the concerned colt let out a distressed bugle.

  As if any of them gave a shit about her! Sinking down to one knee, Caylee’s earth stone roared up to full strength. Oh, she saw the truth now. Pend, Tornado, even Tiffany. Without question, they were all against her! Why didn’t she see that before?

  And now she was accused of treason? No, not accused. Her betrayal was presented as accomplished fact! Accepted history, even! When in truth, if it hadn’t been for...