by Ally Shields
Andreas began to edge along the outer wall.
“Arianna, tell your vampires to stay where they are and release the girl—or she will die right now. Painfully.”
Ari took a look at Dyani’s face. Slack, unfocused. “Let her go. She’s been bewitched. Her mind and body are under the priestess’s control. She’ll do whatever she’s ordered to do, even die.”
Andreas stopped where he was. Gabriel released his captive, and Dyani shuffled across the room to stand before the High Priestess.
“You were told to delay them,” the priestess said. “Not lead them straight to me. They must have convinced you to show them the letter.”
Dyani nodded; her voice held no inflection. “Yes, I told them.”
“Weakling.” A loud slap echoed as the High Priestess left a red handprint on Dyani’s left cheek. “Do not disobey me again. Kneel beside me until I want you.”
Dyani barely flinched but knelt to obey.
“You don’t need to treat her like that,” Ari snapped. The witch acted more like a dominatrix than a High Priestess. This was not the way a true leader used her power.
Ignoring Dyani, the High Priestess turned her attention to Ari, settled there for one moment, then moved to her companions. Her gaze stopped at Hawkson. “If any of you can decipher the puzzle and speed up this process, I advise you to do so. My patience is running thin.” She moved her hand to Dyani’s bowed head. “Does someone have to die before you take me seriously?”
Sophistrina stepped sideways. “Please, your Highness, let me take care of Dyani.”
The priestess scowled. “You grow too soft, Sophistrina. Beware I don’t decide to replace you.”
Ari heard a stifled gasp, although she couldn’t identify which of the witches had reacted. First Initiates were never replaced, except by their death. Ari felt a wave of disgust. The High Priestess was so caught up in a power trip that she was threatening a sister witch. In most covens that transgression, even by the leader, would be met with expulsion.
“What is taking so long?” The priestess suddenly turned her wrath on the witches hacking at the ceiling. “You.” She pointed to Hawkson. “And you.” She nudged Dyani with her foot. “Take over for them.”
Dyani rose and picked up an axe. Hawkson stood mute.
“If you defy me, the girl dies.”
Hawkson stepped forward and grabbed the other axe handle. He suddenly swung it toward the coven leader, striking her shoulder a glancing blow as she leaped away.
Everyone exploded into action, and one of the witches shouted, “Stop! I’ll shoot.” A rifle barked, one round catching Gabriel in the right leg. Andreas leaped in front of Ari, using his body to shield her against the gunfire. He took two rounds, staggered, and recovered almost immediately. Hawkson aimed a second swing at the priestess, but an animalistic shriek tore through the room. Everyone froze, staring at the blood flowing from Dyani’s eyes, ears, and mouth. A psychic attack.
“No. Stop hurting her.” Hawkson dropped the axe and threw himself across the young woman. “Don’t kill her. It’s my fault.” He pleaded with the priestess as he pulled Dyani into his arms. “We are so few. It’s me you should punish.”
Ari knelt next to Hawkson, but it was already too late. Dyani’s chest heaved in a last gasp, her eyes glazed over.
Fighting the impulse to unleash the lethal power of her fire magic and risk incinerating them all, Ari sprang toward the priestess. A loud rush of pressure deafened her ears as a magical fist hit her, knocking her to the floor. Ari rolled to her feet, her face tight with rage. “As a rep of the Magic Council, I’m officially declaring you a renegade.” Twin blue stuns erupted from her hands, striking the priestess in the chest and abdomen and smashing her against the far wall. Ari rushed forward to stand over the sprawled form. She thrust one hand out, pointing her sparking fingers toward the witch’s heart.
“The fight is over. Or I will burn you where you are.” To remove any doubts, she glanced over her shoulder at the huddled witches. “All of you, if I have to. This ends here.”
The priestess stared up at her, resistance written across her face. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would.” Ari let her see it in her eyes.
“Listen to her.” Sophistrina stepped forward to appeal to her sisters. “If not, listen to me. This has gone too far.”
The witches looked uncertain at first, then followed Sophistrina’s lead. When they turned their weapons over to Ryan, the priestess finally lowered her head in defeat. Ryan unloaded each gun and handed them to Hawkson. Andreas and Gabriel took charge of the priestess, pulling her to her feet and marching her toward the entrance.
“I think we should get out of here. Something is not right,” Andreas said.
He felt it too? That creepy feeling? Ari’s witch magic spiked. But they had the situation under control, didn’t they?
“What about the girl?” Hawkson jerked his head toward Dyani’s body. “We can’t leave her here.”
“I will have her body brought to the surface.” Andreas urged the others toward the entrance. “Just go.”
“Take the lead.” Ari pushed Ryan ahead of her. “It feels claustrophobic in here.”
Ryan seemed puzzled, but he climbed through the exit. Ari couldn’t explain her sense of urgency—or why Andreas shared it, but she knew she didn’t want to get trapped inside the small room. She urged Hawkson to follow Ryan, then came Gabriel, who had dropped back to escort Sophistrina. Andreas, still maintaining a firm grasp on the priestess, led the remaining coven members, and Ari took the rear. She breathed a sigh of relief when she climbed out of Spirit Cave and followed the others toward the Chamber of Ages.
“Where are the guards?” Andreas’s sharp voice reached back to her.
Holy crap. Ari’s magic flared, sending adrenaline racing through her system. She pushed through the last of the witches and burst into the chamber. The unmistakable, putrid odor of decay hit her. A thin, black fog hung over the room, menace clinging to every particle of air, making it hard to breathe.
Ryan drew his pistol. “Anybody there?” he called. He moved sideways to look behind the nearest formations.
Ari whirled toward a power surge at the far corner of the room.
“Right here.” Ursula emerged from among the columns, like an alien warship decloaking for battle. Blood glistened on her lips and chin, emphasizing the gothic effect of her long, black gown. She dragged one of the vampire guards by the throat. A detached head, rapidly decomposing, dangled from her other hand.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Run! Get out of here,” Ari shouted. Images from the Canadian massacre raced through her head. Hawkson and part of the coven members scattered, scrambling for safety.
Ryan emptied his pistol into Ursula, aiming at areas away from the hand clutching her live victim—the head, the opposite shoulder, her upper chest. The vampiress didn’t even look at him. Ari ran toward Ryan and grabbed his arm. “Stop. You can’t kill her with that. You’ll only piss her off. I need you to get the others to safety.”
“I’ll try to protect them, but I’m not leaving you.” Ryan was calm but determined as he reloaded. “No way.” He turned and urged Hawkson and the witches, including the priestess who had been discarded by Andreas, toward the back of the chamber.
Andreas was confronting Ursula, standing in her path. “Why are you here?”
“I’m afraid one of your friends has been damaged.” The enforcer stopped a dozen feet from Andreas and swung the detached head by its hair. “But you can have it back if you want.” She tossed it in the air.
The last of the coven who had stood fast, watching in horror, now darted back, squealing, to avoid the grotesque missile.
Andreas didn’t so much as flinch. Ari and Gabriel moved forward to flank him on either side. “You are not above vampiric law, Ursula. You have entered my territory without permission and now you have committed murder.” His firm voice exhibited none of the panic that had hit the rest
if the room.
Ursula cackled. “Oh, Andreas, you are so entertaining. Hoping to stand on protocol? Are you really demanding that I forfeit my life?”
“Your actions have already done that. Why are you here?”
She laughed, then waggled a finger at him. “You have been a naughty boy.” The amused smirk was belied by the malevolent blood-red haze swirling in her aura. “You have annoyed the elders. You and Daron and your witch. I was sent to solve the problem.”
“You delivered the official warning in Toronto.”
“Don’t be naive,” she snapped. “I wasn’t sent to warn you. My job is to eliminate problems.”
“By murder and slaughter? Is this a declaration, Ursula? Then I officially ban you from my territory. You will be treated as the vile creature you are.”
“Oooh, now I’m scared,” she mocked. “You may have somehow tricked Sebastian, but he was a child in comparison to me. Tell your witch good-bye. She will live just long enough to see you die.”
Ari kept her tingling fingers hidden at her sides, waiting for a clear target. As long as Ursula held a live hostage, Ari couldn’t use her fire. But if Ursula remained unaware of the danger, she might grow careless or overly confident.
A sudden chanting filled the room with a magical hum; power levels started to rise.
Ursula’s head whipped around, her gaze settling on the High Priestess. “The witches,” she hissed. “I had not seen you there, Priestess. I thought you would still be tending your wounds. What are you doing in the company of these lesser beings?”
Ari was appalled by the High Priestess’s audacity. Her coven was too weak to make a psychic attack. But instead of stopping, the chanting increased until it sounded like the tromp of a thousand feet.
“Stop that racket!” Ursula snapped her captive’s neck and threw him at Andreas and his companions, catching them off guard. Flashing across the chamber, she slammed into the witches. The chanting cut off, replaced by screams of pain and terror.
Ari fired two stuns to deflect Ursula from the witches, but the vampiress didn’t falter. She continued to slash through the coven, ripping and tearing, until Andreas grabbed her, digging his fingers into her throat. He tried to drag her away, but even his strength wasn’t enough. Gabriel and Hawkson grabbed at her arms, only to be swatted away as if they were flies. Or were attacking a tank with bare hands.
Using a leg to trip and throw her off balance, Andreas yanked the vampiress backward and flipped over her head as she fell. Ursula hit the floor, shaking the ground, and Ari unleashed her witch fire. Crimson death streamed toward the vampiress, but Ursula spun aside and flew straight at Ari. Gabriel and Andreas both hit the vampiress from opposite sides, sending them all to the floor. As the vampires struggled to untangle, Ari jumped on Ursula’s back, scratching at the vampiress’s eyes. Ursula roared and shook her off. Ari landed hard but tucked and rolled to her feet.
Ursula lurched off the floor. Ari released another stream of crimson fire, and the vampiress took a direct hit. Flames erupted across the front of her fancy gown. Her shrieks echoed around the vast cavern as she batted at the growing inferno, her efforts setting her sleeves and the ends of her hair ablaze. Screaming defiance, she lunged toward Andreas and Gabriel, reaching to touch them and spread the fire.
“Stand back. Stay away from her.” Ari fired again.
But Andreas and Gabriel were already out of reach. They turned to watch the magical flames arc from witch to vampiress, striking Ursula in the face this time. The enforcer flailed her arms in desperation, stumbled, and sank to one knee. With a last flare of bright red flames, she exploded into a shower of blackened ash.
The enraged screaming stopped.
The power rush faded.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The moans from survivors were the only sounds in the vast chamber. Ari’s focus was riveted on the layers of charred dust that used to be Ursula. A part of her wanted to celebrate. Dance on the tables and drink champagne. The other part was horrified. The O-Seven would never forgive this.
Ryan broke the silence. “You have a real habit of making me feel inadequate.”
“Are you hurt?” She turned to look at him.
“No, but Hawkson’s in bad shape. He lost an arm.” He pointed toward the man whose shoulder was already being tended by Andreas and Gabriel. “I think the witch leader and two others are dead.”
“Sophistrina?”
“I’m here, Arianna. Do you need me?” The young woman crouched next to an injured witch.
“No, but your sisters do. You’re the leader now. I hope you do a better job.”
Sophistrina gently patted her patient’s arm, stood, and walked over to Ari. “Our priestess wasn’t always this way, not until she lost her blood sister to the O-Seven.”
“Yeah, hate will do that. Change you. But it only gives your enemy more power.”
“I think we’ve learned that lesson.” Sophistrina jerked her head toward the wounded. “We’ve lost more than half of our sisters since we left Germany.” She straightened her shoulders. “We’re ready to submit to your Magic Council. Do you wish to take us to jail while we await their sentence?”
Ari looked at Ryan.
He shrugged. “Let’s not worry about that until we’ve taken care of the dead and wounded. I’m not exactly sure who has jurisdiction.”
What a lame excuse. Of course he had jurisdiction with a human victim. But in this case, justice might best be served by deferring to the Magic Council. Ari left to find Andreas, while Ryan tried to make a call on his cell phone. Good luck with that. The caverns were notorious for their rare and spotty phone service.
“Help should be here soon,” Andreas said when Ari found him. “Gabriel is going to the surface to call.” He looked at Ryan as the cop joined them. “Think your EMTs will come to the cave entrance? We can move the injured and dead out of the caverns.”
“Sure.” Ryan pulled out his phone. “Damn, I keep forgetting about your service down here.”
“Gabriel.” Andreas stopped the blond vampire, who was heading into the tunnel. “Can you take Lt. Foster with you?”
Gabriel waved his assent, and Ryan trotted to catch up with him.
“Are you all right?” Ari returned her attention to Andreas. She hadn’t forgotten about the gunfire in Spirit Cave or that he’d protected her. “You were hit at least twice.”
He looked at the holes in his shirt. “I could use a pint.”
Ari suddenly wanted to laugh. Not so long ago, she would have thought he was asking for a beer.
He shifted his arm to look at it, and she saw a gash still oozing blood. “Ursula did this?” Ari frowned with renewed anger.
“It is nothing. I managed to stay behind her most of the time, away from the teeth and nails.”
“I’m glad she’s finally dead.”
Within minutes, the first of Andreas’s people arrived and began moving the wounded. Once the injured were on their way to the hospital, the bodies of Dyani and the three witches were removed. The bones and dust of Andreas’s vampire guards were collected and would be returned to their vampire nest.
Ari escorted the rest of the witches to the surface, giving them instructions on when and where to report to the Magic Council. If she needed them in the meantime, they’d be with their wounded sisters at the hospital.
While at the cave entrance Ari learned Ursula had gotten into the caverns by killing the dwarf who’d been there every day. His death only fueled Ari’s lingering anger.
She returned to the Chamber of Ages for one final task.
She squatted over the charred bits that had been Ursula. Snapping on surgical gloves, she began scooping the remains into a bag she’d gotten from the EMTs. Images of the massacres in Canada brought a scowl to her face. She thought about the things Ursula had done to Andreas and Gabriel and unknown others in the past. She scooped faster.
“I have plans for these,” she said, when she noticed Andreas watching
her. She kept working until the rock floor was nearly spotless, every bit of bone dust, sand, and debris in that area collected. She stood, took a last look at the surface, scuffing her shoes to grind and disperse any minuscule particles.
Taking a handful of white powder from her magicks pouch, she sprinkled it over the area while murmuring a cleansing spell.
“Are you ready now?” Andreas laid a hand on her shoulder when she continued to stare at the floor. “I must notify the victims’ nest leader and assign new guards for the rest of tonight.”
Ari glanced around, surprised to find the place empty. “I’m sorry. You didn’t have to wait for me.” She held up the bag. “These last bits will be destroyed in the Magic Lab. I didn’t want to leave this evil bitch in your caverns.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and urged her toward the exit tunnel. “Ah, cara mia. Sometimes I very much like the way you think.”
* * *
In the early hours of the morning, the Riverdale Magic Council held an expedited trial. Ryan had woken his chief, and they agreed that the disposition of the witches should be left in the hands of the Otherworld authorities. Upon Ari’s request for a swift decision, the council president had summoned the executive council to sit in judgment.
From beginning to end, the trial lasted less than forty minutes. After listening to testimony mostly from Ari and Andreas, the council ruled the High Priestess held primary responsibility for the deaths of Jase Barron and Dyani. They were also sympathetic to Sophistrina’s plea that binding the coven’s witch powers would make it vulnerable to the O-Seven once they returned home. Consequently, Sophistrina and the remainder of her coven were released from custody on the condition they immediately depart for Europe. The order included the permanent banishment of each witch and her descendants from the American continents.
Sophistrina stopped Ari and Andreas afterward. “Thank you. If you hadn’t spoken for us, I know they would have stripped our powers. You didn’t have to do that, especially after what we did to you.”
