Witchlock

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

  "Did you get names?"

  "No. Big guy had a scar down the side of his cheek like this." Grady drew a line from his left eyebrow straight to his jaw. "Some woman showed up and she must be one hell of a witch. She called the little one to her like a damn puppy and made him heel to the side. Then she and the big one had a talk. I tried to get close but she was puttin' some kind of whammy majik up to prevent anything from comin' around. She won't talk to no Nightstalkers either."

  A powerful witch? Veronika?

  But why would she be anywhere around the Medb before she possessed her full power, and wouldn't Adrianna have heard something?

  Wait. Evalle considered a more realistic possibility. "Do you know what Queen Maeve looks like?"

  "Nah. Do you?"

  "No. That might have been her. The Medb are accusing me of murdering one of their people without provocation."

  "That shows those fools don't know you."

  There was her Grady, always in her corner. "The problem is that I killed a demon when it dropped its glamour in Stone Mountain Park. I shoved my dagger into its head and told the dagger to stay. That body disappeared. Then Cathbad showed up at a Tribunal with a corpse and my dagger stuck in it. I was the only one who could release the dagger."

  Grady growled and stomped around, then told her, "I'll try to find that bunch again. Wish I'd had a way to follow their van. I'll put word out what I'm lookin' for among the Nightstalkers. They won't tell me nothing, but they'll let me know when they have somethin' to trade with you for a handshake."

  "Thanks. That would be a lot of help."

  "Go on and git to your hen party."

  She hugged him and she could tell it surprised him. He patted her on the back. "Don't worry. I'll find somethin'."

  When she stepped away, he said, "You never said why you're not workin' with that Injun."

  She shook her head at him. "His name is Storm and he's busy following a scent up and down Stone Mountain Park."

  "Oh, I just seen him downtown for the last hour before I came here."

  She had no answer for that. Storm had been back in the city and hadn't called or stopped by the apartment? That hurt and she couldn't put her finger on why, which meant she was making too much of it again.

  Acting happy to hear that news, she said, "Glad to know he's back, then. He has some business he's taking care of in town."

  It dawned on her that Grady hadn't explained why he left downtown. "What are you doing here, Grady?"

  "I was followin' that witch in the robe. Minute she showed up, everything about her blurred into one bright ball of red. I wanted to git a look at her face. Don't like people in my territory I don't know. Especially one bringin' a load of power with her, but she just whooshed away, poofed out of sight, about a mile from here. So I came over to see if she was on her way to see this witch."

  "No. Rowan is a white witch."

  "That one I followed is keeping a whole lotta power shielded, so don't you mess with her. She's not like the others."

  "I'll keep that in mind." But Evalle would like a look at her, too. "What could you see?"

  "Nothin' but her red robe. Had a hood. That's all." He laughed. "Little Red Ridin' Hood witch, 'cept this one's robe goes to the ground and it's got big ol' sleeves, and she wouldn't have no problem smokin'the Big Bad Wolf."

  A flowing red robe? Could the witch get anymore dramatic?

  If the new Medb queen was anything like Flaevynn, the drama totally fit.

  "Thanks." Evalle nodded and made her way to the porch.

  Rowan met her at the door. "Thanks for coming, Evalle."

  "Nice to see you." She peeled out of her gear down to her shirt and jeans, then followed Rowan into the living room where Sasha McCree played with her new baby, rocking it in a bassinet. That baby was the reason Trey had been looking worn out all the time lately.

  She said hello to Sashsa then looked around to find Lucien Solis, the mysterious Castilian contractor for VIPER. He'd been on the hunt with Storm last week when they tracked the troll killer.

  Taking in the room, she asked, "Is this VIPER business?"

  Both women looked to Lucien, who said, "No."

  Evalle grinned and took a spot on the sofa next to Rowan. "Works for me."

  "Do you know anything about Witchlock, Evalle?" Rowan said, diving into a hot topic.

  "Some." After that conversation with Adrianna, Evalle had to be careful what she said around Lucien. He'd shared information with Storm that he'd been told not to and Evalle wanted to high-five Lucien for ignoring what Sen had said. But she had no idea where his allegiance lay and until she did, she'd err on the side of caution.

  Back to Rowan's question. Evalle asked, "What do you know about it?"

  Lucien addressed Evalle, "In the interest of time, let's put our cards on the table. I'm not here in any capacity for VIPER. I couldn't care less if an asteroid took out Sen tomorrow. I'm also not a fan of witches."

  Rowan's sly smile called him a liar.

  Lucien narrowed his eyes at her and she merely arched an eyebrow at him, sending enough sexual undertones zipping around to scare the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz.

  Lucien told Rowan, "You know she's empathic, right?"

  Rowan's cheeks pinked, but she still laughed. "I know Evalle." After her moment of amusement, she sobered and told Evalle, "We have problems in the witch community with trying to create this council."

  "Is there anything I can do to help?"

  "That's not why I asked you here. I've been trying to take my time to coax the witches into making the right choice. As individual covens, we're vulnerable to the Medb."

  Sasha snorted. "The other covens might be, but the Medb would have a rude awakening if they came after ours."

  Rowan said, "Be that as it may, unifying us under a council will solve a lot of issues, such as self-policing any who fail to support our doctrine to harm none--at least for the white witches--and protect those who might be vulnerable to more powerful covens, white or dark."

  Evalle frowned at that doctrine clarification. "Will your council have anyone who isn't a white witch?"

  "Not at first, but I'm looking down the road," Rowan explained. "Now that the members of the Medb coven are living among us, it's just a matter of time before there's a major conflict between one of ours and the Medb. If that happens and we have no ruling body, VIPER will try to force us under the coalition rule. We won't have it."

  "Makes sense to me," Evalle said. "I'm behind all of you, but I'm not sure why you're telling me this?"

  "I need security that I can trust. You top that list for me."

  "I'm flattered, but what do you think is going to happen?"

  "We have to move up our timeline for the vote on the council leadership to have it tomorrow well ahead of the eclipse."

  Cold fingers of warning climbed up Evalle's spine. "Why?"

  "We have to finalize the decision before Witchlock. That's why I asked what you know about it."

  Evalle avoided eye contact. What would Adrianna do if she were here?

  Lucien interjected, "Adrianna's from the same part of the world as the KievRus. She has to have told you about Witchlock."

  Evalle glanced at him and, yes, he was talking to her. Adrianna trusted Evalle's judgment, but she'd made a promise to tell as few people as possible, and this little group had caught Evalle off guard.

  She glanced at Sasha. Even if Lucien swore to say nothing, Sasha was married to a Belador.

  Sasha obviously caught on. "Trey doesn't tell me about secret Belador business, and I don't share priviledged information from the coven. You can speak freely."

  Evalle held up a finger. She texted Adrianna and laid out what was going on then asked if she wanted to attend. Adrianna declined. When Evalle pointed out that this was an opportunity for some support, Adrianna sent back: I will not be responsible for their deaths. If they try to make a stand against Veronika and I see a chance to save Ragan, there will be casualties.
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  After sending back a confirmation, Evalle felt better about continuing this conversation. She said to everyone in the room, "I'll make you a deal. Tell me what all of you know and I'll tell you what I know, as long as you agree to help Adrianna if you can."

  Lucien started to speak and Rowan cut him off. "Yes. If Adrianna is trying to prevent that power from spreading to our country, then I will help her." Rowan turned to Lucien who scowled silently. "You don't know Adrianna."

  "She's a Sterling witch," Lucien replied. "What else is there to know?"

  Evalle groaned and covered her face then dropped her hands to find Lucien staring at her with a look of confusion. "Is that how I sounded back when I first met Adrianna?"

  "Pretty much," he confirmed.

  "I've gotten to know her and I'm no longer being a jerk around her."

  Rowan chuckled at Lucien's face. "She didn't insult you, but you are judging Adrianna without knowing her."

  "Would you two be as open-minded if we were talking about a Medb warlock?" Lucien asked.

  Evalle gave up. "You win when it comes to the Medb, but I'm here to tell you I've already witnessed Adrianna trying to sacrifice herself to destroy Witchlock."

  Stunned silence answered her so Evalle continued, "I'm still not sure I did the right thing by stopping her, but that's in the past and my first thought was to keep her alive. It's up to Adrianna who she decides to be friends with, because she's got reasons to avoid both light and dark covens. Reasons that are bigger than all of us here. So what do you know about Witchlock?"

  Rowan spoke up. "Lucien and I have been researching it for a while, because he'd heard rumors that the original coven still exists."

  Evalle nodded, "It does, but how did you find out? And, Lucien, just where do you come from anyhow?"

  He gave her a devastating smile that would have melted her on the spot if not for loving Storm. Good grief. How did any woman refuse him?

  Then she caught the way Rowan watched him. Now the tension between those two made sense, but in a fascinating way since the rumors were that Lucien had refused to work with Adrianna just because she was a witch.

  Lucien relented by explaining, "I go home to Spain when I can, and when I don't, my associates keep me informed of any new activity on that side of the world. The KievRus coven is active and they have a chosen one they're grooming who can take possession of Witchlock. It's a power that can control all witchcraft."

  "That's what I've learned," Evalle said. "The chosen one is called Veronika."

  "That's good information, but did you know that she will also be able to take control of the power of other beings?"

  Adrianna had warned the same thing. Evalle admitted, "Yes."

  "The only hope we have is of finding Veronika's power source and destroying it."

  "Been there. Tried that. Got the burn mark," Evalle chirped. When every face in the room ranged from shock to disbelief, she explained what she and Adrianna had attempted. "We barely made it out. Adrianna said there's no second chance and she's right. The realm Guardians would never let us get that close again, and the realm takes too much power."

  Sasha's baby had fallen asleep. She said, "So what's going to happen to Adrianna's sister?"

  "I don't know. Adrianna thinks Veronika is so close to gaining the power that she'll come to this country at the last minute and grab it when the eclipse hits. If that happens, we'll have no chance to rescue Ragan."

  "That sucks."

  "Yep."

  Rowan had grown quiet, deep in thought. She said, "This is why we have to push up the timeline on the council vote, because we can unite a powerful force to combat Veronika."

  Evalle looked around. "Then what's the problem and why do you need me for security?"

  "There's a rogue group of witches who are with no coven. They're young and many of them are untrained, which opens the door to mistakes or misuse."

  Evalle nodded. "Nicole mentioned that you were having an issue like that with solitary witches."

  "It's worse than it was. Now they've banded together and are demanding the vote be determined by majority of individual witches instead of one vote from each coven. That sounds good on paper, but many people, witch or otherwise, will not take the time to become informed on any issue. That's why I'm pushing for a five-member council who will be held accountable to stay informed and make decisions in an unbiased manner. We'll have a checks and balances system with severe penalties for anyone who does not respect the gravity of their position."

  "The solitary witches don't like that idea?" Evalle asked.

  "I don't want to say they're being scammed, but they are being herded by one person. If the rogue witches have their way, they have the numbers to put one of their own at the head of the council, which would be disastrous. The one stirring them up needs to mature and be trained or she'll be easy prey, or damn us all by making a huge mistake."

  "Can you talk them into forming a coven?" Evalle asked.

  "Most covens are thirteen or smaller. This group boasts over two hundred and with no real organization. There are reports of some dabbling in the dark arts, but no one is sanctioning it. VIPER will not respect our right to govern ourselves if we fail to form a legitimate council."

  Sasha interjected, "Witchlock would thrive on witch wars. As a community of witches, we have a fighting chance against Witchlock, but only if all the covens unite to focus power. Not just here but nationally and internationally. The other cities are making headway by forming councils, but the council here, if it ever happens, will be the most powerful."

  "It will happen," Rowan said with enough power the windows rattled.

  Sasha hissed, "Don't wake her."

  "Sorry, sis."

  Lucien muttered something.

  Rowan said, "I resent that."

  Evalle asked, "What'd he say?"

  Rowan sent him a censuring look that had no effect on the Castilian. He addressed Evalle. "I said that's what happens when you deal with witches."

  "We're not all alike," Rowan argued.

  "But you're all witches," Lucien countered. "White, dark, gray, your power comes with a load of trouble. But before you snarl at me, I agreed to work security for your council vote as long as this meeting doesn't turned into a cluster--"

  "Thank you, Lucien," Rowan said, smoothly cutting off his curse.

  "If we don't have a lead on Veronika's location by the time of your vote, Storm and I will help," Evalle offered, sure that Storm would do this. "But if we do find Veronika, we'll have to go with Adrianna."

  Rowan stood. "Understood and as soon as the council is finalized, I will come to help with Veronika, too."

  If things went badly with Veronika, Evalle might not have to worry about meeting the Tribunal after the eclipse, but she had to keep hunting for information. Evalle added, "I have an issue with the Tribunal-"

  "Again?" Lucien asked.

  "What can I say? I'm their favorite ex-con." Evalle brushed it off so no one would know how much it had bothered her when she'd been locked beneath VIPER a few months back. She explained what was going on with the demon killing and said, "Any help you can offer with proving they turned a warlock into a demon and glamoured him to then look human would be great."

  "I'll check my contacts," Lucien said.

  "Thanks." Evalle's phone buzzed. That had to be Storm.

  She grabbed it out of her pocket and ... it was Isak.

  Chapter 32

  Maeve studied the mausoleum that held Kizira while Cathbad ran his hands over the heavy metal doors. She asked, "Feel anything?"

  "Not out here, which is what bothers me. I would have expected a blood ward if he didna want anyone to enter."

  "You think the security is on the inside of this vault?"

  "I do and I've not had enough time around the Beladors in this century to learn everythin' of their powers. This Quinn is highly respected for his mindlock. That alone tells me his kinetics and telepathic abilities may be enhanced by that powe
r. It would not be difficult for him to place something inside and activate it once he was out here."

  "I want someone on Quinn all the time. We have to know when he comes here."

  Cathbad studied the vault. "Agreed, although it may not be so simple to keep track of him. Our man Ossian is making headway as a new contractor with VIPER. I changed his orders from capturing Quinn to gaining the Beladors' trust. Once Ossian manages that, we'll be on our way into this mausoleum unless we find a way sooner."

  "If we could just hear what Kizira said to Quinn as she died in Treoir," Maeve grumbled. What was the use of having a scrying wall that could replay past events if all the sounds didn't come through?

  "I've tried everything I can to improve the audio, Maeve. I'm thinking Kizira somehow shielded her words so no one would hear except Quinn."

  "That alone means whatever she said is of great value to me."

  "Ossian's strength is in studying a person and figuring out the weak point for getting past walls. With Quinn just appointed as the new Maistir, he is the key to breaking the Beladors one at a time. Gain control of him and we will have unlimited access to the Beladors."

  Maeve liked the sound of that. "It won't be long before we'll accomplish what that fool Flaevynn never could-seizing control of Treoir Island and the castle Macha stole from me." She took one last look at the mausoleum.

  No one denied the goddess Maeve answers.

  Not even the dead.

  If they didn't get answers from Quinn, then Maeve would ask them of Kizira and she would answer.

  She told Cathbad, "For now, weave a spell around this place so that we're alerted when anyone with power visits the chamber. It's been a long time since I've raised the dead, but I still have the touch."

  Chapter 33

  Six Feet Under was doing its normal booming business in spite of a rainy Monday night.

  Evalle hooked her helmet on the mirror of her Gixxer and shook out her hair, then pulled it back into a ponytail.

  Veronika was coming to the US tomorrow for that eclipse.

  I should be out hunting for intel instead of on a date.

  Okay, this was not a date.

  Besides, if there was intel to be had, Adrianna would have found it by now. If not, Grady, Storm or Quinn would have flushed out something.