Enemies Allied

by Serena Lindahl

  Eden shivered, grasping Alena’s hand and leaning against Alec for support. She didn’t want Alena to go. She wanted her to stay there with her and Alec, safe from harm. Her heart nearly ached with the longing.

  “We need to prepare. Eli, Alena, Jenira, Mac, and I will go in person.”

  Eden’s shivering increased. “Maybe I should just go to him.” She hadn’t realized she’d spoken the words aloud until several faces swiveled in her direction. She shrugged. “He wants me. Maybe I can talk him out of it.”

  Eli shook his head violently. “No, sister, absolutely not. You don’t understand the amount of power he would wield if he had you as well. Besides, it won’t change his plans. He will still do everything he wants to do and he’ll use you to do it.”

  Eden sank further into her chair. She knew Eli spoke truth - she could feel it ringing between them - but it didn’t comfort her. She felt helpless.

  Alena squeezed her hand. “You’re not helpless. We’ll work together. You’ll help me while I’m out there.”

  Their eyes met. Green fire blazed with intensity. “You can feel what I’m feeling,” Eden observed with wonder, her voice quiet.

  “Maybe. It’s more like I can feel these emotions like they’re mine. When I look closer, though, I know they’re yours.”

  Alec tapped his chest. “I can feel you both here.” He tapped his head. “And here. But I don’t know what either of you is thinking or feeling.”

  “That will come,” Eli whispered, leaning down over their shoulders and causing them all to jump. “Every time you get closer, you’ll become more attuned to each other. You can open your magic and abilities to each other in ways other than sex, but sex is the most fun.” The blood prophet grinned and walked away; they stared after him. Thankfully, no one else was paying attention to their conversation.

  “Everyone meet in the sitting room this afternoon,” Davin commanded, another hand running through his hair. “We’ll go over the plan.” He stopped pacing, his gaze intense. “We leave tomorrow.”

  Eden’s stomach fell into her feet, and she grasped Alena’s hand tighter. She never wanted to let go. Alec’s hand caressed the nape of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. They sat there for several more minutes, watching as everyone broke into smaller groups. Mac declared loudly that she was going back to bed while Cat ran after her with requests for more tests.

  “Tomorrow,” Eden breathed, fighting the agony that threatened to suffocate her.

  Alena turned to her, a hesitant smile on her face. She leaned forward and brushed her lips across Eden’s, met her eyes, and then looked at Alec. “Tomorrow. We have time before this afternoon. I say we take advantage of our time to work on our connection.”

  Eden laughed despite her fear, enjoying the sudden spike of their emotions from fear and apprehension to desire and happiness. Alec gifted her with a smile that melted her insides as memories of the past night flew through her mind in a molten rush. They rose from the table, Alena’s hand in hers and Alec’s arm wrapped around her waist.

  Eden pushed the fear from her mind and followed them back to their room. She would enjoy every moment until Alena left and hope she could enjoy every moment when she returned.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Mac

  Mac tugged at the vest Cat and Andrew had handed her. She felt like an overstuffed turkey. Lightning watched her, his ears pulled forward. He seemed to understand what was happening, which was more than she could say for herself. Their tentative plan to storm the fortress where Mather hid was filled with a million "what-ifs." It couldn't end well.

  She couldn't bear the thought of more nulls dying, though. The night after her dreamwalk with Mather, Eden woke in the middle of the night, screaming about the death of a nulls. A second vision had portrayed the entire act in gory detail. The poor Magitech had been shaken all day, despite Alec’s and Alena's comforting presences.

  Mac shivered. She couldn't imagine being exposed to so much pain in her dreams. She relived her mother's death over and over, but she knew it was in the past. She understood she couldn't change it. Eden could possibly alter this situation. It tore the kind-hearted woman apart.

  Mac's eyes wandered to Alena. She'd pulled her fiery hair back into a tight ponytail and wore one of the vests as well. They were lined with copper and would supposedly absorb a portion of the energy the enemy threw at them. Guns and knives decorated the other mage, but her eyes were haunted and worried. Mac was sure she looked the same.

  Jenira resembled a walking armory or a porcupine. She didn't use guns, but her body was equipped with wicked-looking swords and knives enchanted with magic. Elijah and Davin possessed guns and blades. Due to the shortage in time, they hadn’t actually made any weapons; Cat and Andrew focused on the vests.

  Their magic acted as a second offensive tool, but Eli warned them that the enemy might be wearing magic suppression amulets. Mac had heard the story of Cat's abduction and how Marcus had paralyzed Jenira's magic. No way did she want to experience anything like that. She carried a dagger, but her magic formed her best offense and defense. If she saw a locket, she planned on blasting whoever wore it into the next world.

  The drive to the compound had been completed in a tense cocoon of silence. Parked far enough away, they took a moment to regroup before arriving on foot. Unknown to everyone else, Eli provided the tech team with the coordinates of the compound nearly a week ago. Cat and Andrew observed the footage religiously, monitoring the comings and goings and finding weak spots.

  Mather knew they were watching; he knew they were coming. Eli told them he'd be cocky, that they'd need to prey on that arrogance as a weakness. The enemy didn't consider them a threat - just a roadblock to his plan of world domination. Mac sighed. He might be right. Their strategy consisted of cobbled-together ideas, pushed ahead of schedule because of Eden's dreamwalks and the upcoming council meeting.

  Mac shook out her legs, hiding with the others in the bushes beside the highway that led to Mather's compound. Lightning stood at her side, his ears twitching. Zar prowled beside Alena. The two had formed an easy truce, sometimes play-fighting when they saw each other. Tonight, they were both all business.

  Eli called them together. "I'll go first and disable the wards. He'll know we're coming, but his wards are created to maim outsiders. Remember, he has humans working for him. They need to be killed, too." He met the eyes of the people in the group.

  Mac’s heart raced. She didn’t want to kill anyone, but she would do what was necessary to protect her friends and the other nulls. As one of them, she felt a responsibility towards them. Eli warned Davin that Mather might employ nulls. He needed to avoid being hit by any blue energy if he could prevent it. Like anyone actually wanted to be targeted with that magic sapping, bone melting power.

  "We'll probably need to split up once we're inside," Eli continued, rehashing the highlights of their plan, "but hopefully we can stay together. We're stronger together. His people will be brainwashed, crazy, or forced into working for him. Try to disable the humans without killing, but be prepared to kill."

  "Let's get this over with," Jenira growled. The warrior woman was accustomed to being in control - and winning. She hated their mission and considered it doomed to failure. Her defeatist complaining revealed as much.

  "Any word from Eden?" Eli asked Alena.

  The mage shook her head, her eyes glinting in the light of the full moon above them. Mac had listened when she explained the connection between her and Eden. It was much different than the slight connection she still felt to Eli's blood. Alena said she could sense the Magitech in her head as a living, breathing person. Eden could communicate any new visions or thoughts to Alena despite being miles apart. It went both ways, though. Alec was tasked with keeping Eden grounded and focused so she didn’t distract Alena during battle. Mac admitted she was slightly jealous of the connection.

  "Move out," the blood prophet ordered. They crept through the forest to the compound.
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  Alena searched for mages hidden in the woods surrounding the fortress. Eli used his blood magic to create a simple protection spell. Mac could sense it shimmering in the air around her. It wouldn't survive a severe assault, but it would give them a chance to respond to a surprise attack. If anyone went down, Jenira would phase them back to their van for safekeeping.

  Their trek to the compound seemed like a nighttime hike, despite being armed to the teeth. The ease with which they arrived made Mac nervous. It was her job to suck Mather dry with her magic if she could get past his shields and his cronies.

  Piece of cake. Right?

  Light glowed between the trees ahead, and they crouched at the edge of the treeline. The fortress loomed ahead of them, a more sinister version of Castle Ilona. Inky darkness shrouded the place. Mac could feel the wrongness in her bones like a disease. The architecture and colors were dark and brooding. Ugly gargoyles perched on the balconies and turrets.

  Eli pulled his dagger and sliced his arm again, muttering words under his breath. A ward appeared, shimmering like a bubble around and above the castle. The magic possessed sinister intent.

  Eli crept closer, still chanting. The wall of the ward rippled. Eli's dark eyes glowed in the darkness. He said one last word and a crack broke through the barrier, wide enough for them to enter. They did so quickly, single file, careful not to brush up against the jagged edges of the entrance. When they’d all passed, Eli released his spell and the bubble faded to invisibility again. Inside the wards, the overwhelming darkness seemed even worse. Lightning growled softly.

  Alena pointed towards the top of the wall. Figures moved in the darkness, pacing back and forth. Jenira crept closer while the rest held back. She released two daggers so rapidly, Mac couldn't track their progress. The two figures crumpled, the blades finding their marks.

  Mac sweat, even though the air was cool. It was all too easy. She didn't think she'd escape this night alive. The thought had resided in the back of her mind, but she could see it becoming more likely with every second. The evil within the walls warned her away, shuddering across her skin like a million skittering insects.

  Eli sliced again when they reached the massive stone wall. The obstacle slowly faded. The cut was deep for such a powerful spell, and Mac could smell his blood. He motioned them ahead, his eyes screwed shut as he chanted under his breath.

  Mac crept through the invisible barrier. She felt suffocated under tons of stone for a couple seconds until she emerged on the other side. Alena grasped her chest and breathed deeply.

  Eli joined them, placing pressure against the cut that began to heal almost immediately. A blood mage could cut over and over, but each drop spilled decreased the amount in the body. He would eventually collapse from blood loss, but he insisted he wasn't important. As long as Mather died, he said he would gladly drain his veins. His fervor never left his scarred face.

  The compound was eerily silent. Jenira quickly dispatched any lingering guards. The five of them sneaked around the side of the building, headed for a side door that Cat had indicated on the blueprints.

  Mac shivered in the darkness. Lightning growled beside her as a strange noise filled the air - like wings. "Above!" she hissed to her team.

  The gargoyles perching on the battlements came to life, swooping down upon them with surprisingly agile stone wings. Mac's magic hummed under her skin, but she'd been told to conserve her power. Her hands glowed blue as she resisted blasting them out of the sky.

  Jenira threw a dagger, but it bounced harmlessly off a gargoyle's stone hide. Eli cut and chanted. One of the statues burst into dust with a blast of green light. Davin used his impressive reach and grabbed the neck of one that came too close. He smashed its body to the hard earth. The stone form shattered into plaster and rock, but one of the sharp wings gashed his upper arm.

  Alena pointed her hand at the beasts, creating a strong wind that kept them aloft as they fought against the updraft. One released a grating shriek that nearly punctured their eardrums. Davin shot the creatures from the sky. They protected their heads as stone rained down on them. Breathing heavily, Mac looked around. There didn't seem to be more.

  What was the point of that? Again, the obstacle seemed too easy. Maybe they were the fortress' original defenses and Mather kept them around for amusement? Obviously, the old guy wasn't working with a full set of building blocks.

  Jenira retrieved her lost dagger, and their boots crunched through the stone and dust as they kept a wary eye on the sky. They continued moving forward, more quickly this time. Surprisingly, the door Cat indicated was unlocked and unwarded.

  Mather wanted them to come inside. He wanted to toy with them like rats in a maze.

  The inside corridor glowed with magelight. Their shadows bounced off the walls and created menacing forms. The hall only led one way, so they walked toward their doom as Eli chanted another spell of protection. His blood dripped to the stone floor and sizzled against the surface before dissolving into the air. The air hung heavy with an expectant silence. The enemy waited for them.

  Alena suddenly stumbled against the wall, clutching her head. Mac grabbed her to keep her from falling over as the others waited expectantly in a protective circle. "A lot," she whispered, her eyes huge. "Eden says there's an army waiting just ahead. Cyborgs, automatons, Magitechs," she continued as Eden fed her images.

  Eli glanced at Mac. She nodded once, breathing deeply. She didn't mind dying like this, but she would take as many down with her as she could. Lightning rubbed up against her, reminding her of his steady presence, while she pulled her magic into easy reach.

  Davin and Jenira went first, Eli in the middle, and Mac and Alena in the back. Eli would throw up shields and protect them while the rest went on offense. Mac knew they'd be separated, though, and that protection wouldn't last long. She remembered Rock. He and the thought of the nulls being held captive fueled her righteous anger and magic until it sparked between her fingers.

  The hall opened into a vast room. Alena had been right. Rows of beasts awaited them, their eyes glowing red. They might have appeared human if not for that glow. The actual humans huddled on the fringes, their bodies hunched and their faces strangely blank. Mac recognized that look. Rock's expression had been similar.

  The nonhumans formed a strange conglomeration of metal, fake flesh, wires, and glowing lights that could be either magic or electricity. The power in the room hummed. They paused just inside the doorway, but none of the figures moved.

  "So nice of you to come," someone said. The human stepped forward. Although the body was familiar, the voice wasn't. Mather used Elliott, speaking through him. Mac wasn't surprised. She felt pity, though, for how quickly Elliott had been stripped of himself and turned into a mindless robot.

  Mac counted the beasts but stopped when she got to thirty. Any more than that, and it didn't matter.

  The voice continued, echoing from Elliott's body. He appeared to be a hollow vessel - not a living, breathing person. "The sooner you are out of my way, the sooner I can continue with my plans. My daughter did her job nicely, luring you here. After you’re all dead, I will have her as well." Laughter echoed throughout the chamber.

  "Elijah, my dear boy, your presence here doesn't surprise me. I might not kill you; your services are valuable."

  Eli's jaw hardened, even though he still chanted under his breath.

  "Enough chatting, though.” Harsh laughter echoed. “Let's finish this tea party. Army, please serve our guests."

  And with those words, the mass moved. Balls of blue energy sprang from the horde, crashing uselessly against the shield Eli maintained. Davin's weapons spat bullets. The ballistics took the humans down but didn't affect the others except to make them stutter a step. Alena released small jets of flame and spurts of wind that forced the beasts to fall back and trip up their companions. The fire melted flesh and sizzling wires. The wind fanned the flames, urging them from one figure to the next.

  Jenira danced a
mong the creatures, dodging spells and energy bolts, flipping over in the air. Her daggers spun, slicing wires and digging into fake flesh, but her swipes didn’t affect the beasts' forward motion. Only one fell to the ground, jerking like a human with a seizure.

  Mac was momentarily distracted by the beauty and grace with which Jenira fought but forced her attention back to the present. She released energy bolts which immediately sent the targets to the floor where they twitched or lay still. Unfortunately, it also drew attention to her. Many of the creatures turned their focus from the others onto her, firing bolts in rapid succession. She met them with her own. The energy collided in midair, sometimes bouncing off and working in their favor, otherwise coming too close to her friends.

  "Mac is too much of a target! I need to take her to Mather!" Eli yelled over the noise. Before anyone could reply, Eli grabbed her hand and pulled her from the room, down another corridor. Lightning followed. The sounds of the battle slowly faded.

  "What the hell are you doing?" Mac demanded, jerking her hand from his tight grasp and attempting to return to help her friends.

  He grabbed her again. "We need to stop this at the source," he growled. "Only you can defeat Mather."

  Mac turned back hopelessly once more. She didn't want to leave everyone behind. Their magic and might hadn't been making as much of a dent as her powers.

  "Alena can kill," Eli said as if he'd read her mind. Mac nodded. Alena's magic was powerful, but it wasn't enough.

  She couldn't argue with Eli, though. Mather did need to be stopped. They ran down flickering corridors, their boots slapping on the stone floor. Up ahead, something emerged from the shadows. Mac didn't hesitate. She released a bolt, knocking the cyborg to the ground. Its red eyes blinked and faded.

  Lightning growled. Another crept up on them. She barely fired her magic in time to catch the other's bolt. The two energies ricocheted off each other, sending Mac to the ground to avoid the blast. Her knee hit the stone floor hard, and she cried out as pain shot through her. Eli helped her up, hustling them forward. Mac hobbled behind, flinching as every step sent agony through her leg.