Sebastian. She could sense his presence, could feel him summoning the lightning, and a new surge of anger rushed through her. Sebastian claimed he wanted to stop the talisman and save mankind. John Butler said Sebastian wanted her power. Since Butler had been right about Wanága, she had to believe he was right about Sebastian. Like Wanága, the wicáhmunga was a deceiver and her enemy.
For a moment Sarah considered refusing to let the lightning respond to him. Then she decided that if he wanted the power, she’d give him a good taste of it.
Staring at the lightning, she ordered, “Obey him. Give him what he wants, and then strike him. Let him feel the pain of the power he so desires.”
A moment later the lightning whirled around her so fast it was no more than a blur, and she felt the cocoon lift and fly forward. Suddenly there was a sound like two cars colliding at high speed. She caught her breath fearfully, sure that the lightning cocoon would burst apart.
But then the cocoon drifted back to the ground without so much as a jerk. Sarah drew in a relieved breath, but before she could release it, the lightning disappeared.
She expected to see Sebastian, and she again blinked, startled, when she found herself staring up at two strange men. One of them was a good-looking blond with warm, brown eyes and a worried, albeit wary, expression. The other had shoulder-length, mink-brown hair and a face that looked like a chiseled sculpture. Sarah would have described him as devastatingly handsome if his eyes hadn’t been pulsing with that odd glow she’d seen in Sebastian’s eyes.
Sensing his hostility, she scrambled to her feet and took several steps back, saying, “Stay away from me.”
“There’s no reason for you to be frightened,” the blond told her. “I’m Dr. Ryan Alden, and this is Zachary Morcombe. We’re Sebastian’s friends. Are you all right?”
She nodded, eying them warily as she took several more steps back. Where was Sebastian?
Before she could ask, Dr. Alden dropped to his knees beside the man who’d been cocooned with her.
“Is Lucien okay?” the man called Zachary asked, although he never removed his pulsing gaze from Sarah’s face.
“I don’t know yet,” the doctor replied grimly. “Have you connected with Sebastian yet? Is he okay?”
“He says he’s fine. He’s asking about Lucien.”
“Well, it’s going to take me a few minutes to figure out what’s wrong with him, so go get Sebastian. By the time you’re back, I should have a better idea of what’s going on.”
Zachary didn’t respond for a moment, but then he said, “Sebastian says I’m not to leave you alone with her.”
The doctor glanced up at him impatiently. “Well, tell Sebastian he’s being ridiculous. You’ve cast a protective spell over me, so I’ll be fine for the few minutes you’re gone. Besides, if Lucien is suffering from some type of magical problem, I’ll need his help. If that isn’t enough to convince him, tell him that Lucien’s crystal is pulsating like crazy, so Ariel has picked up on the fact that something’s happened to him. If Lucien doesn’t regain consciousness and reassure her, she’ll start looking for him. When she does, the entire coven will know something’s wrong, and I don’t think Sebastian wants that to happen.”
Zachary continued to stare antagonistically at Sarah, and she took another few steps back. She started to brush against his mind to learn what he thought, but he suddenly murmured some indistinguishable words and flicked his fingers.
Sarah let out a yelp as lightning shot from his fingers and hit the ground in front of her. A shimmering, golden barrier, much like the one she’d seen while in the car, suddenly surrounded her. Only this barrier she could see through.
“What in hell are you doing?” Dr. Alden questioned, his expression shocked. “Sebastian said your magic will kill her!”
“Sebastian says it won’t hurt her unless she tries to walk through it,” Zachary answered. “Besides, it’s what he told me to do—cage her so she can’t harm you while I’m gone.”
With that, he turned and jogged away, and Sarah wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. But it wasn’t fear that made her tremble. It was anger so intense that every cell of her body vibrated with rage.
She hadn’t done anything but stand here, and Sebastian had ordered her caged like an animal. Any remaining doubts she had about John Butler’s claim that Sebastian was her enemy disappeared, and she vowed that she’d make Sebastian pay for this. If he wanted her power, she’d share it with him. Or, at least, she’d give him enough of a taste of it to make him destroy everything and everyone that mattered to him. And she knew that making him kill his people would be a far better form of revenge than if she made him watch her do it.
Then, after he’d completed the task, she would destroy him.
AS SEBASTIAN’S horrifying vision of Sarah and him on the streets of Sanctuary disappeared, he heard a screeching metallic crash and then a silence so total he could hear his racing heartbeat. They’d been wrong! The spirit hadn’t been talking about the triangle, and when the cocoon had hit the barrier, Sarah and Lucien must have been killed!
You were right, Sebastian! Zachary suddenly communicated triumphantly. The cocoon came through the harrier, and the moment it landed, it disappeared.
How are Sarah and Lucien? Sebastian questioned in relief, deciding that the noise must have been some kind of clash of magics as the cocoon encountered the barrier.
The woman says she’s fine. Ryan is checking Lucien now. How are you?
I’m fine, he lied, sitting up. He felt as if he’d been put on a spit and roasted. Every inch of his body burned, and he was sure if he could look at himself, he’d see nothing but charred flesh. But his physical pain was nothing compared to his mental anguish. He shuddered, recalling the vision of Sarah and him standing in the streets of Sanctuary with the coven members’ bodies scattered around them.
But that vision isn’t going to come true! he told himself firmly. The talisman is tormenting me, trying to keep me off balance so I won’t figure out what we have in Sanctuary that will stop it. And we will stop it.
His determination didn’t alleviate his fears, but it gave him the mental fortitude to push them aside. Worrying wouldn’t accomplish anything. He needed to come up with a battle plan, but first he had to find out about Lucien.
How’s Lucien? he asked Zachary when the warlock didn’t give him a report.
When Zachary explained it would take Ryan a few minutes to figure out what was wrong with Lucien, and he wanted Zachary to come get Sebastian, Sebastian refused. After the vision he’d had of him and Sarah destroying the coven, he wouldn’t leave her alone with any coven member, and certainly not with only Ryan—a powerless mortal—to guard Lucien.
He frowned when Ryan insisted Zachary fetch him. Every argument Ryan presented was valid, particularly the one about Lucien’s mate, Ariel.
Sebastian knew that because Lucien was half mortal, he had to use a crystal to augment his powers, and Ariel wore a matching crystal that connected them. She obviously felt his distress, and as Ryan said, if Lucien didn’t contact her soon, she’d panic and start looking for him. All she had to do was tell one coven member that something was wrong and the general alarm Sebastian had avoided earlier would be raised.
But, dammit, he didn’t know what had happened to Sarah in the cocoon! If that violent vision he’d had was any indication, he was sure the talisman had corrupted her further. Leaving her alone with Ryan and Lucien could be catastrophic. Then again, he was blind, and he couldn’t make it onto coven land on his own. He could summon someone else to help them, but it would take time for whomever he chose to get here. Every minute might make a difference to Lucien’s survival.
He felt a twinge of guilt at the sudden thought of having Zachary invoke a spell that would cage Sarah within a barrier and protect Lucien and Ryan while they were alone wit
h her. Sebastian knew she wouldn’t react well to being confined for no reason. However, Ryan and Lucien’s safety had to take precedence over Sarah’s feelings.
Thrusting away his guilt, he instructed Zachary to cast a confining spell. He continued to monitor the warlock’s thoughts, again relieved when the spell was cast and Sarah didn’t have any negative reactions. Assured that Sarah was all right, he cut off his connection with Zachary and struggled to his feet.
While he waited for the warlock’s arrival, he began to outline a plan to deal with the talisman. The first matter of business was to bring Lucien back to consciousness. After they’d accomplished that, he’d have Lucien contact the council of high priests and tell them they needed to send a new troubleshooter to Sanctuary. He’d contact them himself, but he doubted the talisman would let him get through to them. Even if it did, he couldn’t take the risk, because he wore the triangle and that might give the talisman some kind of foothold into the other covens.
Of course, after what Kendra said earlier, the talisman might not let Lucien communicate with them either. That’s why Sebastian would instruct him not to give any explanation; just tell them it was urgent that a new troubleshooter be sent here immediately. The council would find Lucien’s request strange, but they’d do as he asked. Hopefully, they could find a replacement for Sebastian and get him to Sanctuary within the next twenty-four hours. In the meantime, he and Lucien would call a meeting of the coven. They’d explain what was going on and ask them to watch Sarah so they could figure out what information they had to stop the talisman.
He also decided to summon Sarah’s Indian spirit. The spirit might have information that could help them. However, questioning him would be tricky. He’d already suggested that this was a matter of destiny, so he’d be limited in what he could reveal directly. But Sebastian knew from his experience with the narrators, who were also limited in what they could tell, that oftentimes what wasn’t said was more important than what was. It would be his job to present questions to the spirit that would help him fill in those critical blank spaces.
By the time he heard Zachary’s running footsteps, he felt back in control. They were going to stop the talisman, and no visions it presented to him would convince him otherwise.
When Zachary arrived, he gasped, “Sebastian! What happened to you? You look as if you’ve walked through a forest fire.”
“How bad are my burns?” Sebastian asked, again becoming aware of the pain. He’d been so busy making plans that he’d managed to shove it to the back of his mind until now.
“Physically, you’ve only got a few red spots on your face and hands, but your clothes are full of burn holes.”
Sebastian stood there, stunned. He’d been sure he was burned to a crisp, and he was shocked to hear that only his clothes were the worse for wear. But if his burns were so minor, why was he in so much pain?
He didn’t know, and he didn’t have the time to figure it out.
“We need to get back to Ryan and Lucien, so help me into the car,” he told Zachary. “While you drive, you can tell me what happened when the cocoon came through the barrier.”
Zachary led him around the car. By the time he fastened his seatbelt, Zachary had climbed into the driver’s seat and the engine roared to life.
As the car began to move, Zachary said, “When the cocoon first hit the barrier, there was this blinding light and it sounded like two cars hitting head-on at high speed. I was sure the cocoon had exploded, but then there was this strange whine that reminded me of a drill boring through metal. A moment later the cocoon shot through the barrier and landed at our feet. Then the wreath disappeared.”
Sebastian didn’t respond to Zachary’s account, because he could feel them entering coven land. As they drove onto it Sebastian frowned. He sensed something different about the atmosphere, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
“Do you feel anything . . . strange about the magical energy in here?” he asked Zachary.
“Strange? In what way?” Zachary asked.
“I don’t know,” Sebastian said, his frown deepening. The feeling was so subtle that he couldn’t describe it. But whatever it was worried him.
Before he could pursue it, the car stopped and Zachary announced, “We’re here.”
Zachary needn’t have bothered telling him they’d reached the others. Sebastian could sense Sarah, feel her presence and her unmitigated fury, but when he tried to connect with her, her mind was closed to him. He knew her anger was due to her confinement, but what else could he do? She could destroy his friends—their world.
“Should I release the woman?” Zachary asked.
Sebastian vacillated, feeling torn again. Keeping Sarah confined would only make her angrier, but he might need Zachary’s help with Lucien and the warlock wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on her. After seeing that damnable vision, Sebastian knew her every movement had to be monitored closely. For that matter, so would his, because he was also corrupted. But he’d deal with that after reviving Lucien.
“Don’t release her yet,” he replied reluctantly.
As he climbed out of the car, he tried to connect with Lucien, but there was nothing. It was as if Lucien’s mind had simply disappeared, and Sebastian muttered an inward curse. What had the wreath done to Lucien?
“My God, what happened to you?” Ryan gasped when Zachary led him to where he waited with Lucien. “Are you all right?”
“The cocoon’s lightning got a little carried away, and I’m fine,” Sebastian said. “So, what’s your diagnosis on Lucien?”
“Outside of a few minor burns on his face and hands, I can’t find anything physically wrong with him,” Ryan answered. “There’s no sign of a head injury, so I thought he was in shock, but his vital signs are strong. Medically speaking, he should be awake.”
“So whatever’s wrong with him is magical,” Zachary said.
“Probably,” Sebastian murmured, turning his head toward Sarah, or, rather, toward the incensed vibrations coming off her. “What can you tell us about Lucien’s condition, Sarah? What did the wreath do to him?”
When she didn’t answer, he said impatiently, “Look, Sarah, I know you’re angry with me for having you confined, but you’ll be released as soon as we wake up Lucien. So if you have any information that could help us do that, it would be in your best interest to share it.”
She still didn’t answer, and he wanted to yell at her, but he knew his anger would only fuel hers. Instead, he drew in a deep breath and said, “Please, Sarah. Help us.”
When she didn’t respond right away, he thought she would continue to ignore him, but then she said, “I don’t know what happened to him, but his mind is displaced. He needs to link with someone who can lead him back here.”
“How do I connect with him to do that?” Sebastian asked warily. He’d never heard of a mind being displaced, and if, as she claimed, she didn’t know what happened to Lucien, how could she know what was wrong with him, let alone how to help him?
“You can’t do it by yourself,” she answered.
Sebastian’s internal warning signal went on red alert.
“Who has to help me?” he asked, instinctively knowing the answer.
She confirmed his suspicion. “Me.”
“I see,” he said.
“What’s the matter, wicáhmunga? Don’t you trust me?” she scoffed.
About as far as I can see you, he thought grimly. Aloud, he said, “Is there any reason I shouldn’t trust you?”
“There must be. Why else would you have me caged like an animal?”
He inwardly cringed at her words. “I was merely taking the safest route for all of us, Sarah. I didn’t want my friends hurt, but I’m also concerned about you. The talisman has its hold on you, and you were just in its cocoon. I have no idea how that affected you, and I
didn’t want you to do something you might regret later.”
She let out a bitter laugh. “So you caged me for my own good. What amazes me is that you really think a few walls can control me. Well, you’re wrong, wicáhmunga. I don’t need to be free to summon the lightning and have it do my bidding. I can stand right here in your metaphysical prison cell and destroy you and every one of your people. Would you like me to prove that to you? Would you like me to strike down one of your friends right here and now?”
“No,” Sebastian said, the hair rising on the back of his neck. Her voice had a sinister edge that was positively chilling. Suddenly, he recalled how, just before she’d blinded him, her face had taken on that cruel, almost inhuman, cast and her large golden eyes had glittered with malevolent hatred. He knew that’s how she looked now. He also knew that she was on the verge of carrying out her threat. Somehow he had to talk her out of it.
“I believe you can do exactly what you say,” he said. “However, I have to wonder why you didn’t kill Ryan and Lucien while Zachary came to get me. For us to return and find them dead would have carried far more impact than you standing there telling us what you can do. Is it that you require an audience while you exhibit your power? Or is there a part of you rebelling against the urge to kill?
“I think it’s the latter,” he went on before she could respond. “I think that during your training to be the guardian, you developed a strong moral code that the talisman hasn’t been able to erode completely. It can push you into performing a violent act like blinding me, but I don’t think it’s yet reached the point where it can incite you to murder. In fact, I believe that so strongly that I’m going to have Zachary release you.”
Again, he didn’t wait for her to respond, but ordered, “Zachary, remove the confining spell and set Sarah free.”
As he heard Zachary murmur the words, he started to mentally instruct the warlock to be ready to reinvoke the spell if Sarah exhibited combative behavior once it was gone. But he soon refrained, because if she told the truth, confining her wouldn’t make a difference.
Touch of Lightning Page 22
