by Candace Sams
Added to her family's anxiety was the fact that every year the outside world came closer and closer to discovering the Order and its secrets. On the day when they were finally exposed to the world, her loved ones wanted to see her mated to a man who could help her defend a home and children. For it was an undeniable fact that a confrontation would evolve when some outsiders learned of their existence.
That was why Shayla was so protective of them all and had commanded that some of the old laws be reexamined or changed. While there were a great many beings in the Order, there weren't so many that defenses should be compromised by chasing people away as Freyja had done. Freyja's interpretation of the laws had almost destroyed their world, and it had wreaked irreparable damage on Blain's.
Afton smiled sadly and walked up the farm house's steps. I'm a friend. Whatever romantic interludes they'd shared, Blain obviously hadn't placed the importance on them she had. His announcement prompted her to think over other options. If her powers never evolved, there might be some men she would consider as a mate. So what if they couldn't swing a Claymore like they were born to it, or shoot a long bow and put the arrow exactly on target? She wasn't special, after all. Who was she to judge them worthy or not? She stopped walking and contemplated the outcome. No. There was no way she'd handfast with someone her heart couldn't accept.
Afton shook her head in anger. "Oh, damn it all! I want a man who can sweep me off my feet, fight dragons and make love like there was no tomorrow!"
"You do?" Hugh said.
Afton jumped in surprise, and her hands went to her throat as she spied him sitting on the porch, grinning at her.
Embarrassed, she lowered her head and mumbled, "I didn't know anyone was here."
She turned away and fidgeted with the leaves of a Moonflower vine as Hugh rose and walked toward her. Where were her Druid senses that she hadn't known Hugh was present?
"It's all right, young Afton." Hugh gently turned her around and hugged her. "I may be older, but I understand."
Afton hugged him back as tears welled in her eyes. "Please don't tell anyone you heard me say that. Especially the part about...you know."
"It'll be our secret," he whispered and patted her cheek. "Now, go on inside and dry your tears. There are still guests about, and we need to watch over your dragon slayer."
Afton smiled and walked up the stairs to her room. Hugh knew she'd been talking about Blain. But Hugh also had to know that Blain would never be hers. She blew her nose and decided to go back downstairs. Shayla and Hugh were depending on her. There would be plenty of time later to feel sorry for herself. She was about to open the door to her room when a strange feeling came over her. It was like ice water dripping down her spine.
Someone was moving toward Blain's door. Her room was closest to his and had been assigned at Shayla's insistence. At the time, it had seemed like a strange request, but Afton had gone along with it, just as she went along with everything else the Sorceress wanted. Perhaps her proximity to Blain had been chosen because she was an extremely light sleeper. But it didn't matter why she'd been assigned the room, because she needed to worry about what was happening now. Whoever was moving around radiated menacing and frightening vibrations. Even a Druid baby could have felt the dark intensity of them.
Afton had never experienced sensations that were so eerie. Whoever this was, they were creeping about like someone bent on doing harm. Protective instincts flooded through her. If she could never be anything more to Blain than a friend, then she'd be the best friend he'd ever have. And someone was about to hurt him. She felt it.
Afton carefully cracked opened her door and saw Blain's door closing very slowly. There wasn't time to get Shayla or Hugh. She took a deep breath, stepped out of her room and hurried to Blain's door. Placing her hand on Blain's doorknob, she quickly shoved the door open.
The woman who'd been introduced to her as Hannah Biddies was standing in the middle of the room and holding one of Blain's work shirts. Her gray-streaked brown hair had been pulled severely away from her face, and she wore a navy gingham dress over her more than ample figure. Dark eyes glared at Afton from a lined countenance more familiar with frowning than showing any kinder emotion.
"What are you doing in here?" Afton asked. She wanted to give the woman a chance to explain her presence before making any accusations. If Hannah was the one hurting Blain, Shayla would show her very little mercy. If the woman knew about the Order, the Sorceress would show none.
"I might ask the same of you," the older woman replied, dropping the shirt to the floor.
"I'm not about to get into a game of twenty questions with you. You're in Blain's room, and you have his property in your hands. What do you think you're doing?"
Hannah's eyes began to glow as if some horrible fire lit them from within. Afton stood her ground. This was the person they'd been seeking. The third and final suspect on their list, Reverend Myers, had long since left the farm. "You're the one who has been casting these malicious spells, aren't you? Why are you trying to hurt Blain? "
"Keep out of my way. I can sense you have power, but you haven't got what it takes to stop me," the old woman sneered.
"You're trying to hurt someone I care about, so I'm not going to let you leave this room." Afton swallowed hard. "You'll have to go through me if you want to escape."
"Whatever you want, little fool. Through you it is." She raised her right arm and began an incantation.
Afton knew she probably wouldn't be alone for long. Hugh and Shayla would sense the magic being conjured and would show up at any moment. But it was important to keep the woman in the room so that none of the remaining townsfolk would know what was going on.
To ward off anything that might come her way, Afton raised her hands and began to whisper a spell of protection Not just for her, but for Blain as well She could feel the evil hit her like a cold hand reaching out and slapping her hard She stood fast. Others were counting on her. If Hannah was allowed to leave, there was no telling what might happen
"Leave Blain alone He hasn't done anything to you. You have no right to harm him." Afton lifted her palms toward Hannah in an effort to fend off the evil Strands of black plasma-like tentacles reached for her. She wasn't sure if it was a manifestation of what she sensed in her mind, or if the tentacles were real.
"Hasn't done anything? You have no idea what you're talking about, little girl Blain McTavish is as good as dead. And so are you1"
The wavering arms of blackness that reached for Afton were beginning take their toll. She felt dizzy, cold and nauseated all at once. If it had been only her safety at stake, Hannah would have already destroyed her. But others were counting on her, especially Blain. So she closed her eyes and dug deep within herself. She could only hold back the evil a bit longer before all her strength melted away.
"Do you think you can stop a power that spans the bridge of time? You're barely out of your cradle. You and that impotent Order of hapless beings can't stand against someone as powerful as me. My kind have existed since the beginning of creation. I'm just getting warmed up on you Then I'll take care of that old hag downstairs and her Druid lover Finally, I'll drag that fairy half-breed into the woods and make him beg to die before this night is through No one will ever know what happened to any of you " She laughed wickedly. "Your kind has never been, and never will be, as powerful as those who wield the black arts "
Afton opened her eyes and saw that the older farm woman had disappeared. The woman now standing before her was younger, taller and had long dark hair. Her eyes had turned blood red, and they glowed with hatred and contempt. The gingham dress had been replaced by a black, hooded robe. Jewels glistened from its surface. Afton felt herself slipping into unconsciousness and wondered if she'd been fighting off the blackness for minutes or hours. She had never felt so weak, but she kept her hands raised even as she felt her body falling to the floor. Perhaps she couldn't stop the menacing witch, but she could delay her until more powerful help could com
e.
As if someone was playing a movie in slow motion, Afton saw Shayla glide into the room with Hugh following. The black tendrils retreated to their source as Shayla raised her hands and chanted.
"Dion," Shayla uttered the Celtic word for protection. "I know who you really are now."
"Leave off, you foul daughter of horrors," Hugh cried as he knelt beside Afton, wrapping his arms protectively around her. "You evil whore! Black bana-bhuidseach!"
"What the hell..." Blain gasped as he entered his room and saw the scene unfolding there. Afton was on her knees as Hugh tightly held her. Shayla was gesturing toward some unknown woman dressed like a Halloween figure. The woman was backing into the farthest corner of his room. Black fingers of some bizarre substance were retreating into the corner with the strange woman.
"Die, Shayla Gallagher! All of your kind shall perish with you. And I'll start with that little, worthless Druid. I'm disappointed you didn't come with an assistant who was more challenging. But I need no such help. I've gleaned enough of that fairy bastard's power to take you all on at once," the woman gloated.
"We'll see, you offspring of darkness! Your kind and mine have always battled. The evil of yours has always lost. So it has been. So it shall always be!" Shayla's voice rose, and wind whipped through an open window. The room's contents were scattered everywhere.
"Take her, lad!" Hugh cried as he pushed Afton into Blain's arms. "The lass is too weak to withstand any more!" He moved to stand at Shayla's side, mimicked her gestures and uttered the same incantation. The figure in the corner cried out in anger as she was buffeted against the wall by what had to be gale force winds. The black strands slowly disappeared. Together, Shayla's and Hugh's voices' rose above the sound of the wind. The gale increased, and so did the dark woman's shrieks of pain and frustration.
Blain held Afton very close. He was more petrified than he'd ever been in his entire life. Nothing in any horror movie could have prepared him for what he was seeing. The woman in the corner raised her hands toward Shayla and Hugh. A ball of purple-black light shot from her fingertips, but Shayla and Hugh simultaneously fired a similar ball of pure white light. It blocked the woman's volley, passed through it and struck the robed woman's chest. She shrieked with pain, but she seemed to shake it off. Her hands made small circles in the air. The circles gradually enlarged, and red, devilish apparitions appeared. Each of them changed shape as they moved, but all had horns and mouths filled with sharp teeth. They were more like shadows than real beings, but a smell of sulphur accompanied them. The odor became so strong it almost displaced the very air they breathed.
Then, Blain watched Shayla and Hugh join hands. The wind increased and blew the apparitions back to the cornered figure. They turned on the woman and ripped her robe apart with their teeth. She yelled out profanity and managed to stop them by releasing more of the black tentacles. They wrapped around the red demons and pulled them toward the floor where they seemed to dissipate.
The black robed figure raised her fist and shook it at Hugh and Shayla. "No matter what you do, Sorceress, you...still, lose!"
Blain watched as the woman shot a barrage of what looked like black lightning toward Shayla and Hugh. It crackled from her fingertips like electricity. They easily countered her offense with strong, white lightning. Whatever the evil woman did, Shayla and Hugh mimicked those powers with greater intensity. But they never struck out at her first. They only defended themselves against her actions.
Blain could see that the woman's powers appeared to be weakening. Still, she fought on. Her final bursts of magic were aimed toward him and Afton, but Hugh and Shayla stepped in front of them and easily blocked it all. He clutched Afton's body close, vowing that nothing would harm her. Then he pulled her head against his shoulder.
"Hang on, baby, it's almost over!" he yelled, hoping she could hear his voice.
As if someone was erasing a chalk board, the strange figure began to disappear. She howled and convulsed in pain. Even as she began to waft away, she tried to conjure, but the fight didn't go on for more than a few moments. Strangely, she looked him straight in the eyes and smiled as if there was some secret joke he couldn't share. It was as if she knew something he didn't, and fear paralyzed him. The same fear of impending doom he had been feeling all along.
"YOU.. .STILL.. .LOSE!" she screamed at him. Then the horrible figure cried out in agony and clutched at the air, struggling to hang on to life.
Blain watched her vanish into nothing. The wind suddenly died, and the contents of the room were all back where they belonged. Just as if nothing had ever happened.
Shayla and Hugh turned toward Blain. Afton softly moaned. Without pausing to think, he lifted her and carried her to his bed.
"Here." Shayla fluffed pillows as she pulled back the covers. "Let her rest. She'll be right as rain in no time. Come, Hugh. Let's gather her some mint from the garden and brew a nice tea. She'll have need of it shortly."
Blain looked at them in amazement. "How in hell can you talk about brewing tea? What just happened in here? Who was that, and what happened to her?" His voice rose as he pointed toward the corner of the room.
"That was Hannah Biddies in her true form, lad." Hugh answered. "She wanted your powers to use against you and the rest of us.
"What.. .Hannah.. .Why...?" Blain tried to form a coherent sentence, but couldn't. He'd seen too much he couldn't explain, too much that seemed too fantastical.
"Take a deep breath and relax, Blain. All will be well. At least, for now. Hannah won't trouble you or anyone else." Shayla patted his shoulder. "I know what you've seen is a bit perplexing, but..."
"No, Shayla. Finding out you're a damned fairy is perplexing. What happened in here was frickin' unbelievable!"
"All right, Blain. All right. Just sit with Afton and try to calm yourself. Everything will be explained," Hugh softly responded. "Just keep Afton warm. We'll be back soon."
Blain ran his hands through his hair. What, in the name of creation, had he gotten himself into? He looked down at Afton, then sat beside her. He lifted her hand and pressed his fingers to her wrist. Her pulse was strong, but she looked pale. What had happened to her?
"Afton, honey, can you hear me?"
"Blain? Is it over? She whispered back.
Afton opened her eyes to see Blain leaning over her. Concern was etched into his features.
"Something's over. Don't ask me what." He paused, took a deep breath and focused on her, "Are you okay, baby?"
"I think you have an American expression about getting the license of the truck that hit me. The expression seems to apply here," she tried to joke.
"This isn't funny, Afton. Whatever happened, you seem to have been badly hurt."
"I'm not badly hurt. Where are Shayla and Hugh?" she asked as she glanced around the room.
"Downstairs brewing you a cup of damned tea."
"Good. I could use one."
"Afton, some...thing...just tried to kill you, and you want a cup of tea?" Blain stared at her as if she was insane.
"The thing you're referring to was Hannah Biddies. She was a Druid practicing black powers. I caught her in your room trying to steal one of your shirts."
Blain's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would she want a shirt? This is getting screwier by the minute."
"Remember, we told you whoever was trying to hurt you needed something personal. She was probably trying to steal anything she could get her hands on." Afton paused. "We took most of the protective amulets out of the house, hoping to make it easier for whoever was harming you to show themselves."
"Thanks a lot!" Blain bit out.
"As long as Hugh and Shayla were close by, I knew nothing would happen to you. They wouldn't let it."
"But it wasn't Hugh or Shayla who passed out in my arms. It was you. Weren't you the one who first confronted her?"
"I wouldn't call what I did a confrontation. I sort of acted like a speed bump and slowed her down a little until the real cavalry a
rrived." She sighed. "I'm a bit tired."
This was the strangest situation Blain could ever imagine, but dealing with his problems could wait. Afton's were imminently more important now. "You'd better rest, honey. When you're feeling up to it, we'll talk. I need your help and...I trust you," Blain said softly as he stroked her hair.
"I'll do everything I can to help. I'll always be here for you, Blain." She gazed up into his sage-colored eyes.
"Just sleep now. Okay?"
"Will you do something for me?"
"Anything. All you have to do is ask."
"Would you hold me? Just for a while?"
"Sure, sweetness. For as long as you want."
Blain pulled her into his arms and let her rest against his chest. Her color seemed better, her breathing was sound, and she was coherent. Whatever had happened to Afton seemed temporary. Shayla and Hugh didn't seem too upset by the girl's physical state, but he wasn't leaving her tonight. He'd hold her all night long if that's what she wanted.
And he vowed that, no matter what it took, no one would fight his battles again. He had powers of his own, and he'd damned sure learn how to use them.
***
Hugh watched as Shayla put the kettle on to boil- "You know that woman wasn't Hannah Biddies. At least that's not what we called her over thirty years ago."
Shayla nodded. "I know, though I wasn't really sure until she changed from that old hag's disguise into her true form upstairs. She was very good at masking her presence and true identity. I can't believe someone from the Order could practice such black magic, or why anyone would believe it would give them omnipotent powers. But they must have wanted those powers very badly. Some would have died for it all those years ago. But our records of who they might be are scattered and inaccurate. Freyja's minions made sure they would be. They destroyed a great many of our archives while Freyja and I fought and it became apparent that I would win."
