I couldn’t keep from grinning. “That would be very cool.”
Diana nodded, just like Grandpa Samuel used to. “Better. You’ll become an immense magical beast with a flowing black mane and steel hooves who can run faster than the wind.”
That was inspiring, but within a few minutes, I was staring at a pine-scented candle, stuck for an hour. Diana glared at me every so often to make sure I kept my mind focused on the flame. I tried my best, but it became harder and harder to maintain my concentration. She often placed her hand against my back, and, toward the end, she turned on the radio—a pair of shock-jocks yelling at full volume.
Worst, my nose was itching like crazy, but Diana wouldn’t let me move. She sat next to me reading some book filled with runes. Each time she tried a new distraction, she pressed her hand against my back to check my thoughts. She had to sense my mind fraying, but she kept her mouth shut.
Right before I was about to scream from the strain, the timer went off.
“Prove to me that all the suffering you cause is worthwhile,” she said, “or pack your bags. Create the best damned ward I’ve ever felt.”
Finally, I had the chance to do something different. She dug her fingernails into my lower spine, but I ignored the pain, Instead, I visualized the wall at the top of Carter Pass. Then I threw my magical core into the spell.
Within seconds, a massive, invisible limestone shield surrounded both of us.
Take that, and shut up about kicking me out.
After a few seconds, she said matter-of-factly, “Yes, that’s a considerable improvement. I thought that stallion analogy would get through your thick skull. The ward isn’t good enough, of course, but it’s a major improvement. Focus with a flame twice more before you sleep tonight. We’ll meet again tomorrow at the same time.”
She went to a small refrigerator and came back with a beer. “Your reward for finally making an effort. Drink it elsewhere.”
As I took it away, I drew in a series of deep breaths to calm down. Our Fearless Leader didn’t hesitate to push people past their breaking point, but she’d thankfully left me alone to unwind. Wasn’t that just like her?
Not good enough, of course. Why did she have to be so mean?
-o-o-o-
AFTER LEAVING DIANA’S OFFICE, I met Tess in the apartment Maggie was using.
Our patient could sit up now, and the color had returned to her face. I couldn’t help but smile as I took Maggie’s hands in mine. “You look great. Laura did a fantastic job.”
The older woman looked at me with questioning eyes and combed her disheveled hair with her fingers. “Not well enough for gentlemen callers.”
I laughed. “For someone who survived a sneak attack in the middle of the night, you look amazing. I hope you gave him hell. You always were powerful.”
“Still don’t remember—I saw Pestone’s face—he turned the light on in my bedroom after it was over—the fight is a blur—pain—burning.”
“Do you want those memories back?” Tess asked. “Laura is happy to try and heal your mind, but maybe it’s better not to see what you can no longer change.”
“Sure,” Maggie replied. “Let me think.”
For the rest of our visit, Tess and I sat on the edge of the bed. They gossiped about mutual friends within the clan, and I simply listened.
By the time Tess and I were ready to leave, Maggie still hadn’t asked for more healing, so I didn’t remind her. There were plenty of parts of my own past I wished I couldn’t remember, like my last morning in Oklahoma. It was bad enough knowing that most of my family was dead, but reliving the feelings I had as I watched helplessly was much worse.
-o-o-o-
FOR DINNER, LAURA WANTED to go out. I wondered whether she really wanted to avoid seeing Viola and Diana in the dining room, but it didn’t matter. I’d seen so little of Boulder that I was game for a visit.
Laura suggested a place she said made the best French food in the area, so I dressed up as well as I could, given my limited wardrobe. She was wearing a frilly white dress and had added a nice wave to her long blonde hair. I was getting used to her new look and liked it more and more.
This was technically our first date, but, given the bounty on my head, I took my staff.
A light rain began as we drove down Boulder Canyon, and the glistening droplets made the trees look enchanting—all the colors appeared more vibrant than before.
Musique de l’eau, was located next to Boulder Creek just west of the city. According to Laura, the restaurant’s name meant the Music of Water, which seemed appropriate. She managed to talk the host into giving us a table beside a window that faced the rushing stream. I looked out, fascinated, watching a dark gray water ouzel bob and weave through the rapids without getting swept away.
In the center of our table, a pink oriental lily tossed out its rich, spicy perfume. Some parts of this world were so perfect, I thought, even with danger swirling around us. Laura smelled the flower, and it left sprinkles of orange pollen on her nose.
My breath wouldn’t come for a few seconds. She was magnificent.
Using my terrible French from high school, I ordered pork medallions in a plum wine reduction. When the food came, I added it to the many blessings I thanked the gods for. Although I’d been raised a Methodist, at this point I wasn’t sure whether I was praying to the Lord, Wakonda, or any one of the Celtic gods, but someone up there was helping me, and maybe more than one someone.
Laura smacked her lips after the first bite of her sautéed sole. “Say what you want about the French, but they definitely know how to cook. The chef here happens to be one of Nicky’s cousins. A witch, of course.”
Two hours passed, and by the end of it, we were laughing a little too loudly for a romantic restaurant. We’d split a bottle of French wine, and I felt as happy as I’d been since leaving home.
She whispered to me, “We need to remember we’re not alone.” She put a finger to her lips. “We don’t want to get kicked out before dessert.”
And it turned out that Nicky’s cousin made incredible chocolate mousse and apple tarts.
By the time we left the restaurant, the rain had stopped, and the light was fading fast. Because the lot had been full earlier, we’d parked at the far end. Laura punched the key fob to unlock our car, and right then, a tall, stocky man with a beard appeared from behind a nearby SUV.
Laura screamed, though it seemed to be more out of surprise than fear.
The guy laughed. “I challenge you for magical power.” Then he froze.
He didn’t seem so tough. I groaned. “We were having such a great time. May the gods damn him to everlasting hellfire.”
“Let’s bolt,” Laura said.
I shook my head. “I can take him.”
She nodded. “If you fight smart. Calm yourself. I’ll get your staff.”
I visualized one of Diana’s candles and then the wall at Carter Pass. Laura handed me my weapon.
Holar, protège, I thought.
A buzzing sound signaled the beginning of the battle. At the same time, my ward solidified around me.
The sorcerer unfroze. He didn’t speak, but spells flew at me, seconds apart. Sparks flew from his hands and hit my wall.
The ward vibrated but held. So far, so good. I glanced at Laura, who was standing alongside our car. She couldn’t help, and if I lost, she’d have to drive away fast, without any sentimentality.
She pointed at the bastard as though to tell me to focus on him instead of worrying about her.
The sorcerer yelled, “You’re next, bitch!” Then he spat at her.
That made me seethe. Nothing was worse than a fucking ambush after such a lovely dinner.
I kept building my fury. If this slime-fuck thought I’d be a stepping stone to attacking her, he deserved the worst I could give. I drowned myself in a torrent of anger.
Just before I could let loose, one of the sorcerer’s spells got
to me. My ward had slipped because I wasn’t focusing on it anymore. I felt like a hundred wasps were stinging me at the same time.
Have to push that aside.
I ducked around the hood of a pickup and pointed my staff at him, I screamed, “HOLAR, ASSOMME!”
His shield vaporized, and he fell, frozen.
I willed my ward away and smacked him twice with my staff, holding it on one end like a baseball bat. Then I bent over and pummeled his face with my fists.
But he was one tough bastard. My punches seemed to release him from my stun, and he rolled over and leapt to his feet. Then he ran for a path that led from the parking lot along the creek. The thick foliage along the water hid him from sight.
I raced after him in the deepening twilight. A branch from a cottonwood I didn’t notice until too late slashed at my right temple, but I ignored the pain. He’d attacked first, so he couldn’t really run away. But he could hide.
I stopped chasing when I came to a small clearing and waited for him at the edge to come back. After a few minutes, I was beginning to wonder if he’d really run away, but the buzzing still sounded in my head. Twenty feet or so to the south, the water in the creek gurgled.
Then a branch moved on the far side of the clearing, and a lightning bolt boomed and erupted from the shadows. It barely missed me, and without hesitating, I ran straight at him and pointed my staff to launch a stunning spell. “HOLAR, ASSOMME!”
As I’d expected, it hit his ward instead of him, but it blasted his protection to bits. Before he could recover, I pummeled him, focusing on his forehead to knock him silly.
He hit back. One jab caught me on the chin, stunning me.
I had to step back and clear my head for a few seconds.
“Fight smart,” Laura had said, but I hadn’t been protecting my face. I’d been too eager to attack.
But by the time I reengaged, his ward was strong once more. I hid behind a large cottonwood just as he got off another lightning bolt that probably would’ve put me down if it hadn’t hit the tree instead.
Not wasting any time, I fired right back. “HOLAR, CHOQUE!”
Green lightning burst from my hand and caught him square in the chest.
He stared at me, his eyes bugging out, and his mouth frozen wide open.
Why should he be surprised that I was putting up a struggle? “Yeah, you son of a bitch,” I said. “I’m new, but I fight back.”
I rushed forward and tried to kick him, but he’d raised a barrier despite being unable to move.
So I built up my anger again. I needed to take him out with magic instead of blows.
He raised his hand as though he was about to cast another spell.
I conjured my spell faster. “HOLAR, CHOQUE!”
He scrambled backward and then vanished.
I dashed around the small clearing to search for him. In my mind’s eye, I could sense his presence. I bent over to pick up the staff that I’d dropped to punch him and then swept it back and forth, trying to hit the sorcerer or his ward.
Nothing. Where the hell was he? He must’ve slunk back into the thicket of foliage without me noticing.
From the corner of my right eye, I noticed the air shimmering to the side of a pair of tall aspens.
For a split second, a vague outline of his hand pointed at me. Before I could move out of the way, a powerful shock wave hit me and knocked me to the ground.
It felt like he’d poured gasoline on me and lit it. Something acrid was burning, but I saw no flames.
Oh, it hurt. I thrashed on the ground, trying to stop the pain. So stupid! I’d let myself get distracted.
After a few seconds, though, the pain vanished, as it always did. I needed to get my protection back up to keep him from hitting me again, so I stood and focused my mind deep inside, trying to block out everything else. After taking a deep breath, I sent my thoughts to the limestone wall at Carter Pass. Without conjuring this time, my shield sprang up around me, stronger than ever.
I breathed deep and tried to sense with my intuition where the invisible threat would come from next.
From the path leading back to the parking lot, the bastard blasted me again, but my ward held. I closed my eyes to recall the massive outcropping more clearly, and calmness flooded through me. Then a thought hit me. As long as I kept my shield strong, I didn’t have to hurry to beat him. Let the bastard use up all his power. No wonder Diana was so stubborn about mental focus.
I stood straighter and filled the trail so he could only go forward or back. It was almost dark, but I’d hear the foliage moving if he left the path. I could sense him in front of me but saw nothing but black. To my right, the creek flowed faster here, and it would keep him from moving much to the south.
The sorcerer hit me with a stunning spell from straight ahead, but it hardly affected my ward this time. He was running out of gas.
I opened my eyes. “Fuck you and the pricks you hang around with. If you give up now, I won’t enslave you.” I didn’t really expect him to, but I wanted him to wonder what to do.
The sorcerer remained invisible, so I slowly waved my staff back and forth as I advanced on him. This time, I stayed calm so my ward would remain strong.
I kept part of my mind calm to keep the ward strong, and I remembered how the sorcerer had ambushed us.
I’ve had enough of his shit for one night!
“You deserve to suffer!” I cried out to the sorcerer. “And this is for Maggie, too!”
This monster wanted to attack a healer next. I gathered all my fury together.
When I noticed a branch move on the left side of the trail, I was ready. I pointed my staff at the spot. “HOLAR, ASSOMME!” Pure poison pulsed out of me and stunned him.
The sorcerer appeared again, falling into a clump of willows lit by the moon.
Blood oozed out of his mouth, which had formed a soundless circle.
I strode over to him and lifted my right foot, ready to stomp on his face. “Had enough?”
He said nothing, and the buzzing in my ears continued, so I drove my shoe with all my strength down on his head. Blood gushed out, and he coughed and moaned.
Gross, but satisfying. But before I could stomp on him again, he raised a hand, palm forward.
The buzzing stopped.
“I claim the spoils of victory,” I demanded.
I wasn’t sure he understood me, given how beat up he was, but a blast of warmth flowed from him into me. My muscles seemed to melt, and I steadied myself. Would I ever get used to that feeling? A much stronger sense of joy filled me than I’d felt after my last fight.
Laura rushed up the trail. “Thank God, you’re safe. He was a lot tougher than I expected. Get him back to our car.”
I used a fireman’s lift to carry him back to the parking lot. She ran to the car’s trunk and pulled out a tarp she laid over the back seat. I laid the sorcerer inside. Then she used her healing magic to treat the worst of his injuries.
“I’m still pissed about how he threatened to attack you,” I told her. “Don’t give him first-class medical care.”
Laura took one of my hands. It was still dirty from fighting and landing on the damp ground, but she didn’t seem to mind. Our magical cores intertwined as we stood next to the car. She hadn’t been able to help me during the fight, but we could celebrate my victory together.
I trembled as I realized what I could’ve lost.
She covered my face with kisses. “Thank the gods, you beat him!”
I pointed at the still-writhing sorcerer. “Him? No trouble.”
She rolled her eyes. “Let’s get out of here, but first, your face is pretty red. That’s the main serious injury I see, but how did he scratch your head?”
I touched my temple with my fingertips. “I think a tree took a shot at me as I dashed by.”
She said some Celtic mumbo-jumbo, and just as quickly, the burning ended. Her healing gift was priceless.
She drove us to the ranch, and I called Diana to break the news.
Chapter 17
WE ARRIVED AT THE ranch before Diana did, so the three of us sat in her office to wait for our Fearless Leader. Amber made the sorcerer sit on a sheet of plastic she’d placed on the carpet to protect it from smeared blood.
When Diana appeared, all smiles, I bowed my head toward her as Laura did.
Diana sat behind her desk and turned to Amber. “Please remove that vermin from my sight.”
He looked at me with questioning eyes.
I nodded. “I hereby order you to follow the instructions of our clan’s priestess,” I told him, pointing to Diana. “And anyone she designates, like Amber.” I pointed at the young blonde.
When our new slave left with her, Diana’s face changed from smiling to solemn. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
Laura and I told the story together.
When we were finished, Diana frowned. “Neither of you is all that capable of sensing a sorcerer’s power when he masks it. Next time, be more cautious.”
Laura started to speak, but sighed. “Yes, my queen.”
Diana aimed her narrowed eyes at me. “And you didn’t notice his true strength, either? Every time I start to believe you have potential, you disappoint me.”
Nothing Diana could’ve said would have hurt me more. I bit my lip and fought back my annoyance. “Yes, ma’am. Very sorry for not being more perceptive.”
Diana blew out a deep breath. “They have to be watching the ranch all the time and tracking your comings and goings.”
I was more interested in something else. “How did he become invisible?” I asked.
“He probably used the Sharkov transparency spell,” Diana said. “Advanced magic.”
“I’ll tell you what I know,” Laura said. “It’s time for another victory celebration. That never gets old.”
-o-o-o-
DIANA, LAURA AND I headed to the lounge, where Diana clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Time for more congratulations. Ian fought for us again. I’m sure he will be happy to tell you, blow-by-blow, about his tremendous victory.”
Lone Survivor: The Sorcerers' Scourge Series: Book One Page 18
