by Keri Arthur
“See, I told you it was nothing exotic,” Mo said.
“The trap may not be, but the goddamn stench wafting down definitely is.”
“Nose plugs would definitely be an asset up here.” I walked over to the edge of the hole and peered around the corner. There were only the two of them on the stairs. “Where’s Ginny?”
“She’s making sure no one enters the bookstore,” Mo said. “I called Jun and asked him to come over and check the integrity of the walls and what remains of the roof and ceilings.”
Jun was Tristan’s father. “Does he know his son is dead?”
“He didn’t say anything, so I doubt—” She stopped, her gaze narrowing. “So it begins.”
“What begins?” I said, exasperation evident. “Or shouldn’t I ask?”
She smiled, though it held an odd sort of sadness. “You’ve been using Nex and Vita, haven’t you?”
“Yes, of course, but—”
“And this time, the power didn’t fade.”
“Well no, but—”
“Which means the immersion begins.”
She held out her hand. I gripped it and guided her across the remains of the joists. The tremble in her fingers alarmed me, but I didn’t say anything. Now was not the time to cosset.
“What immersion?”
“The ancient power within the blades is finally forming a deeper connection with you.” She squeezed my fingers, and I released her.
“And why would that happen when I’m a witch without power?”
“It is a recognition of strength and will more than power.”
“So why would it happen now rather than earlier?” I gripped Mia’s hand and guided her across the joists. “It’s not like I haven’t fought demons before.”
“No, but you’ve never used the blades with such frequency before, which means they haven’t had the chance to truly assess you before now.”
“That almost sounds like they have a life and will of their own,” I said. “There’s not a screaming banshee of a witch locked inside them, is there?”
She snorted and strode across to the pile of paper the demons had tried to destroy. “No. But they are born of magic, rather than the forge, and that does come with complications.”
I followed her across and squatted on the other side of the small paper pile. “What kind of complications?”
She waved a hand. “Your eyes, for starters.”
I frowned. “What’s wrong with my damn eyes?”
“They’re seriously bloodshot,” Mia said. “It almost looks as if they’ve been bleeding.”
The red mist, I thought uneasily. “How bad can the bleeding get?”
“Bad enough, but that’s a discussion we can have later. Let’s uncover what these bastards were trying to destroy first.”
Frustration stirred, though it wasn’t exactly an unexpected reply. I picked up a sheet of paper and scanned it. “It looks like they were recording absolutely everything. This even notes what we had for breakfast.”
“I don’t know a whole lot about demons or their habits,” Mia said. “But surely to god even they’d have the sense to only make a note of the things being said.”
Mo grimaced as she shuffled through the layers. “It would depend on the wording of their orders.”
Awareness prickled across my skin; a second later, Luc stepped into the room. I didn’t acknowledge him … and it was way harder to do than it should have been, given my annoyance with the man.
“I killed two of the demons attempting escape, but the third took flight.” His gaze was on me as he spoke, but I picked up another piece of paper and studiously examined it. He added, “It was the red monster in charge of the mob that attacked us up on the knob.”
That had my head snapping around. “Why would he be here? I’d have thought it too risky for a demon of his stature to be appearing in the middle of a major town.”
“Unless the stakes were great,” Mo said. “They do seem to want you dead pretty badly.”
“Then why does the red one keep flying away? Why didn’t he attack me up at the knob, after Luc had left? Neither Nex nor Vita had that much fire left in them—I would have been an easy target.”
“Except he couldn’t have been sure that I wasn’t still around,” Luc commented.
“Fair enough, but he must have sensed me coming through the front door here alone—why flee out the back? Especially after going through the effort of bringing a building down on top of me.” I paused. “Just how did they manage that? I had no sense of magic in the seconds between that first whoomp and the second.”
“They used earth magic,” Mo said. “But it was a form I’ve not seen before—one that disrupted the internal integrity of stone and wood and made it fluid.”
“That doesn’t sound like a positive development,” Mia said.
“I doubt the red demon was behind the destruction,” Luc commented. “I think it more likely to be the person who was astride his back.”
“Which would explain why he fled,” Mo said. “He was protecting the asset.”
Luc nodded. “Reds are middle hierarchy though—he wouldn’t have left unless he was ordered to do so.”
“Can full demons work magic?” Mia asked.
Mo shook her head. “Only the dark elves, and even then, they use personal magic rather than elemental.”
“Is it possible,” I said slowly, “that this asset is a full witch? One stolen as an infant and raised in this world by the halflings?”
Mo stared at me for a moment, horror crossing her expression. “Oh my god, yes. I didn’t even think—”
“You’re hardly alone in that,” Luc cut in.
“Yes, but I knew it was possible, because it’s happened before.”
I frowned. “When? Because once again it’s not been mentioned in any of the history books I’ve ever read.”
“Well, no, because there weren’t many who realized what had happened. Most thought the collapse of the castle’s eastern wall was due to the heavy rain and the river flooding.”
Luc frowned. “Didn’t that happen just before Uhtric was born?”
Mo nodded and scrubbed a hand across her eyes. “They pushed that child too far, too soon—we found him dead in the ruins of the wall. It would seem they might have learned some restraint.”
“‘We?’” Mia asked, eyebrows rising.
Mo waved a hand. “Figure of speech.”
Like hell it was—though it did mean she was far older than what she’d already admitted. “Why wouldn’t they just wait until their fosterlings reach adulthood and therefore full capacity as a witch?”
“That I can’t say. Perhaps it has something to do with the differences I felt in the magic.” She flicked a piece of paper around. “Do you recognize the address here? It’s not one I’ve heard mentioned.”
Luc plucked it from her fingers and then swore. “It’s the address for the hospital where Henry’s being kept.”
I glanced at Mo and, as one, we scrambled to our feet.
“We need to get over there,” she said. “Now.”
“The hospital is fully protected both magically and physically,” Luc said. “They won’t get to him, I guarantee that.”
“Our building was fully protected,” Mo bit back. “And look at the state it’s in now. Ring Jason and warn him. Tell him to get their Chen consultants over there immediately, and mention we’re on the way.”
“I will, but—”
“We haven’t the time to stand here and argue, Luc. Gwen, let’s go. Now.”
She ran into the smaller room, thrust open the window, and flew out. I tore off a strip of fabric to wrap Vita and Nex in, then changed and flew after her, the blades held secure in my claws and pulsing with an odd sort of heat.
A heat that weirdly spoke of both anticipation and strength.
I had no idea what it meant, and no time to dwell on it.
We flew hard and fast through the darkness, but it still took us far
too long to reach the hospital.
By the time we got there, it was under attack and in flames.
Fourteen
The entire left wing of the small, T-shaped hospital burned. The ground around the other wing was surrounded by demons, but the main mass wasn’t attacking. They were simply standing there, their howls filling the night with their anticipation and desire for blood. Two secondary forces had gathered near the exit points, one of them currently trying to batter down one set of the doors with a ram, the others hacking at the second set with axes and swords.
Magic lit the air, the strings a mix of dark and light, ebbing and flowing as each spell momentarily gained dominance over the other. It meant the Preternatural’s main witch force here were Lancasters rather than elemental witches—though there was at least one Valeriun within the building, if the deadly shards of ice pelting over the force with the ram was anything to go by.
Mo flew over the hospital and headed for the three black vehicles situated in the parking lot. She shifted shape and then strode toward them. Once I’d also reclaimed human form, I swept my daggers up from the ground, and ran after her.
“Situation?” she snapped as Jason appeared from the back of a van.
“Henry’s wing is under heavy attack, but we’re currently holding them.”
“How many people have you got inside?”
“A dozen soldiers, three Lancasters, and a Valeriun,” he said. “Spells are preventing any breakthrough via the doors and the roof; they should be able to hold them off until the army arrives to deal with the bulk of the demons.”
“How far away are they?”
He glanced at his watch. “Ten, maybe fifteen minutes.”
Mo grunted. It was not a happy sound. “Have there been any reports of a red demon?”
“Yes—why?”
“Because that bastard is carrying a child who’s capable of bringing down a building. How many Chen witches have you got on site?”
“Only one—”
“Tell him to meet me at the far end of Henry’s wing in five minutes.”
“That’s too dangerous, and I can’t spare—”
“I don’t want or need your men’s protection. What room is Henry in? Have you got a floor plan?”
“Yes, in the van.”
“Gwen, go in and protect Henry. If I can’t stop the collapse, I’ll work on a means of getting you out. Signal when you get to the exit.”
She flew off without waiting for an answer. Jason swore and immediately ordered his witch to meet her. Then, with a curt “follow me,” he moved back to the van and jumped inside. He ordered the floor plan up on the screen and then said, “Look, my men are holding them. Once the army gets here—”
The rest of the sentence was lost to a massive whoomp. It was starting …
“What’s the quickest and easiest way for a blackbird to get into that wing?”
“There isn’t one.”
“What about the windows?”
“Barred with silver-coated iron.”
“Standard sizing?”
He frowned. “Yes.”
I motioned to the floor plan. “Where’s Henry’s room?”
He pointed to an inside room at the midpoint of the wing. “He’s in the isolation rooms here.”
“And these rooms here and here?” I pointed to the rooms on the outside walls. “What are they?”
“Wards here,” he said, pointing, “And storeroom and offices behind.”
“Great. Contact your men, ask them to shoot out the window in room one-eighteen, and warn them that I’m coming in.”
“I still don’t see—”
“That whoomp you heard? That’s the first warning that Darkside’s witchling has been unleashed. The building will begin to collapse with the second one.”
The words were barely out of my mouth when it happened. I swore, jumped out of the van, and leapt into the sky. As I flew hard for the far side of Henry’s wing, the roof above the first exit began to shimmer and melt. A shout went up from the demons holding the ram, but they didn’t run. Instead, they increased their efforts to batter down the doors. This time, the magic holding them together buckled. Either the strength of the spells or the witches were fading, or the witchling could not only disrupt the integrity of wood and stone, but also magic.
I swooped around, spotted a broken window, and arrowed in. The bars skimmed my back and stomach, and the daggers clanked as they hit the metal. I shifted shape and landed amongst the glittering glass shards. Became aware of the two men in the room and the guns aimed my way.
“I’m Gwen De Montfort,” I said. “Where’s Henry?”
“Inside. This way.” The bigger of the two men spun and led the way out of the room. Dust filled the air and spiderweb cracks were now appearing in the ceiling above.
We were rapidly running out of time.
A third whoomp echoed, and the walls began to vibrate. The soldier in front of me looked around, his expression uneasy. “Sounds like they’re attacking the walls.”
“They are. How many people have you got down near the eastern exit?”
“Five.”
“Order them back here immediately. The roof there was on the point of collapse as I came in.”
He immediately got onto coms, and from the quick response, he was obviously the commander. I strode into the room; there were three more soldiers here, as well as Henry, who wore both a flak jacket and helmet.
“Gwen?” he said, “What the fuck—?”
“There’s no time to explain. We need to get out of this building—now.”
“We have orders to remain,” one of the three soldiers said.
“If you follow orders, you’ll be dead inside of five minutes. Henry, move.”
He hesitated, his expression uncertain. I swore, but before I could do or say anything else, the walls began to shake and the falling dust became chunks of plaster.
“This entire building is about to come down on our heads. Move, before I goddamn force you.”
I drew my daggers and pointed Vita toward the dusty corridor beyond the door. Lightning flickered from her tip and spun around the room, a thin sliver of dangerous white light that surrounded the four men. I had no idea how or why it had happened, but it looked pretty fucking awesome.
Henry stared at me for a heartbeat, his expression a mix of surprise and awe, and then walked out the door. Two soldiers followed. The third motioned me ahead of him.
“Where now?” Henry said, then jumped sideways as a huge chunk of plaster crashed down next to him.
I glanced around at the sound of footsteps. Men and women appeared through the dusty gloom—four soldiers and a witch. The latter was pale, her eyes bloodshot, and her chest heaving.
“They’ve broken through the doors,” she said. “I laid a few traps, but it won’t hold them.”
“Retreat to the other exit,” I said. “I’ll delay them.”
“We can’t get out there,” the commander said. “There’s a secondary force of demons.”
“That will change,” I said. “Go. Trust me.”
“Mo’s there, isn’t she?” Henry said. I nodded, and relief stirred through his expression. “Then we’re safe. Do as she says.”
The commander didn’t look convinced but he nevertheless motioned his men to obey. He stayed right beside me and hefted his weapon. “We buy them time.”
“That’s the plan.”
I faced the dark corridor resolutely, Nex and Vita alight in my hands and tension thrumming through my body. Dust and plaster continued to fall around us, but the main roof collapse was happening further down the hall—it was a distant but slowly approaching rumble.
I wished the same could be said of the demons.
Their screams rent the air, a cacophony of noise that made my ears ache and my pulse race. I gripped the daggers tighter, and the lightning responded, flickering out in ever lengthening whips. They lit the darkness and reflected brightly in the eyes of the ap
proaching horde.
The commander raised his weapon and calmly fired. I crossed Nex and Vita and sprayed the lightning across dusty darkness, disintegrating the first line of demons and searing the legs of several behind them.
As each one fell, two or three more took their place. They didn’t seem to care—not about the lightning or the gun or the quivering walls.
A huge crack appeared in the ceiling halfway between them and us. A heartbeat later, it came down, burying several demons and sending a thick wave of tile, wood, and plaster rolling toward us.
“Run,” the commander said.
I obeyed. While the cascade wouldn’t stop the demons, it at least gave us some cover. We pounded through the unsteady hall, showered by dust and plaster, chased by that wave of debris and the howls of the hunting demons.
We skidded around a corner. Up ahead, clustered to the right of the exit doors, were the rest of the soldiers and Henry. Strings of magic flickered and pulsed across the door, but their force was fading as the witches weakened.
I sucked in a deep breath, then raised the daggers and crossed the blades. Light shot out, twin forks that blasted through the glass doors and seared the demons beyond.
It was best I could do, signal wise.
Howls echoed through the darkness, coming from ahead and behind. As the walls around us began to shake and the ceiling started coming down in chunks, the commander bit out an order for his men to surround and protect Henry, then began firing. The bullets tore through flesh and bone, but the tide wasn’t stopped. As the two witches began spinning their magic into a barrier between the demons and us, a sword stabbed through the nearby window, skimming my side and drawing blood. I swore and lashed upward with Nex, cleaving the sword in two even as lightning wrapped around the demon beyond and disintegrated him. As I directed more spears of light through the smashed glass doors, the ground beyond began to rumble and then rise, slowly at first and then with increasing speed, arching up each side of the door until it had formed a solid dome. An exit tunnel—Mo was creating an exit tunnel.
