by Ally Shields
If he was a traitor, he would. Any warlock who’d sell his soul to the enemy wouldn’t lose any sleep over a few dead minor vampires. And to keep his cover, the O-Seven wouldn’t either.
When she didn’t answer, he walked toward his car. “You get in touch when you decide you need me.” He opened the door. “You’ll never beat the vampires alone.”
Ari turned away. He’d be waiting a long time for her call.
Thirty minutes later, Ari, Lilith and most of Sophie’s coven piled into their vehicles and drove back to their own encampment. Two sisters remained behind to help with the rest of the clean up and the injured, but there’d be no burials. No one had died this time. Within the first seconds of the attack, the witches had been able to barricade themselves inside the main building until Gerhard arrived. He had indeed saved their lives.
“What did Gerhard have to say?” Sophie had waited to ask until they were out of the van at their own campsite. “Do you still believe he’s involved with the vampires? He killed several of them tonight.”
“I can’t prove anything,” Ari admitted. “We didn’t talk about much, except his kill count. Thirty-four in the last few days.”
“Uh-huh. And you think he’s laying it on too much.”
No wonder Sophistrina had made it all the way to the priestess of her coven. She was smart, and she wasn’t blinded by her past friendship with Gerhard. “He was definitely bragging. Beyond that, I think I’m too tired to think. I’m going to bed and hope everything is clearer tomorrow.” Ari let out a deep sigh. “But if Gerhard’s the traitor, he’s playing some really sick games with us.”
* * *
Ari sat up in bed and looked around, flopping back on the pillow when she realized where she was. She’d been dreaming about Andreas again, only this time it felt different. Almost like his magic had touched her, willing her to come to him. She glanced at the window. Dawn was breaking. He should be asleep by now. She opened the link and reached out, finding nothing more than that same small trickle of life.
Knowing she wouldn’t get back to sleep, she rolled over and slid off the cot. Grabbing her clothes and weapons, she tiptoed toward the door. The other witches were still asleep around her in the one common bunk room. They would be up soon, but she didn’t want to cut short their meager sleep. As she opened the front door, she saw Lilith raise her head. Ari pulled the door closed, dressed quickly on the front porch, and walked across the coven’s training area, leaving clear shoeprints in the morning dew. Nearing the forest edge, she found a path and followed it. The birds were starting to chirp and flutter in the trees. A grouse ran across her path and disappeared into the brush. The forest was waking for the day and early risers were already about their business. She watched a native red squirrel scurry along a tree branch with a nut in his mouth. He must be storing up for the cold winter months, making sure he had plenty on hand when needed.
Smart squirrel. She could use some reserves about now, a huge resource of power she could tap.
She stopped and tilted her head. The squirrel had given her an idea. A crazy idea, but it might work. She turned and retraced her steps toward the camp, nodding to herself as she picked up the pace until she was jogging. She met Lilith halfway.
“I wish you’d quit wandering off. I was just coming to—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Ari interrupted. “But right now I need to talk with Sophie. Maybe there’s a way after all.”
“A way to what? What are you plotting now?”
But Ari didn’t stop to explain, and Lilith had to run to keep up. They burst into the cabin and found the priestess eating breakfast. Ari grabbed Sophie’s arm, urging her to her feet.
“Come on. I have an idea.” Ari dragged the priestess outside. Once the three of them were alone, Ari shared her thoughts. “Well, what do you think?”
Emotion played across Sophie’s face: disbelief, astonishment, even awe. “By the Goddess, Ari. That’s bold. I’ve never heard of it being done. Is it possible?”
“Why not?”
“Why not, indeed,” the priestess mumbled. “But your magic is going to rebel.”
“So, I’ll push his power to you.”
Sophie’s eyes widened. She stared at Ari and began to nod. “It might truly work.”
“What is it? I don’t understand any of this.” Lilith looked put out. She’d listened to everything they’d said so far, shifting from foot to foot when they just kept talking.
“What don’t you understand?” Ari cocked her head. “It’s pretty simple. Once I get inside the stronghold and find Andreas—”
“Wait. How are you going to do that?”
Ari waved her off with one hand. “Forget that for now. If I don’t have an exit plan, everything fails. We’re talking exit at the moment. Remember how I told you that Sophie’s six remaining witches didn’t have enough power to support the teleportation spell? We don’t have enough time to train new witches, so we need an alternate source of power, like plugging into a reserve battery.” Ari began to grin. “I think we can hijack Warin’s magic and use it to boost the teleport.”
“Hijack how?”
“It’s one of the ways witches can fight,” Sophie said. “Absorbing the other’s power. We don’t try it often, because it leaves you open for the same kind of psychic attack. If Warin is stronger, he could take Ari’s power instead.”
“That’s why I’ll be connected to Sophie’s coven first,” Ari said. “We’ll only use the six witches I’ve already worked with, but with Sophie and me, we’ll be eight against one.”
The priestess considered that a moment. “With you wielding the power of the whole, you should be able to capture his magic and pull it toward you, but that’s where you’ll run into a snag. Your magic will repel such a dark taint.”
“Yes, it will,” Ari agreed. “But instead of trying to absorb it, I think I can redirect it to you. The coven’s darker magic can absorb it, launder it, so to speak, and push it back to me.” Ari beamed at them. “And, presto! By the time Warin figures out what happened, we’ll be gone.”
“In theory.” Sophie’s tone was cautious. “But it might not be enough power for teleportation. Warin’s magic is strong, but can it replace six missing witches? I think it’s iffy.”
“Iffy isn’t good enough.” Lilith’s face showed immediate alarm. “You could be stranded, surrounded by vampires with no way out. I don’t think I like this plan.”
“It’ll be enough. Look at the power he’s already exhibited. Consecutive teleports. That’s more power than I’ve ever heard of in one witch or warlock.”
Sophie’s face blanched, and she took a step back. “That’s even worse. What if we’re not strong enough to control the transfer? He would drain us all, leaving everyone vulnerable. He’d wipe out what’s left of my coven.”
“I’d break the connection with you before that happened.” Ari frowned at her. Didn’t Sophie trust her to protect them? “I’d never let him drain the coven.”
“Then you’d be the only one in danger,” Lilith said dryly. “That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it? You’d be left to face him alone.”
“It won’t happen. He isn’t stronger than all of us together.”
“But—”
“OK, Lilith, let’s assume the worst, and I have to break the link. He may have more raw power, but I have fire abilities that he doesn’t. And all my witch powers are stronger after training with Sophie’s coven. I have better control of the fire and the earth magic, even have a few tricks in water and wind. Did you know I summoned a rain cloud? I’ll handle Warin if I have to.” Her voice lost its vehemence. “Getting out of the castle without teleporting would be the tough part. And fighting off hundreds of vampires.” She shook her head, refusing to be discouraged. “But we can’t give up yet. Not until we’ve seen what we can do in practice. Sophie, if you’re willing to try, pick your most powerful witch—other than you—and let’s see if I can take her power and give it to you.”
Ari shrugged. “Beats me. Sometimes I just affect people that way.”
* * *
Over Rebekah’s strenuous objections, Ari practiced with the original coven members the rest of the morning, and by noon she had breached Rebekah’s defenses, captured her magic, and pushed it to Sophistrina. The angry witch managed to break the connection within seconds, but Ari and Sophie were delighted with the progress.
Rebekah strode angrily up to join them, her jaw set with determination. “It was a fluke. I wasn’t ready that time. You won’t do it again. “
“Just keep thinking that,” Ari said. “I don’t want you to make this easy.” She suppressed the almost uncontrollable urge to grin. She already had a lot of fence-mending to do with Sophie’s second-in-command when this was over. For now, the witch’s anger only made the test better.
Rebekah’s eyes flashed with annoyance. “You can count on it.” She stalked away.
The sound of a car engine drew everyone’s attention to the camp’s parking area. A dark blue vehicle stopped, the doors opened, and four women exited.
“Were you expecting company?” Ari asked.
“Oh, good. The new recruits. We’re picking up a few witches from a Frankfurt coven. They think they’d like a little more action. We can definitely give them that.” Sophie included her in a conspiratorial look. “Since you’ve driven Rebekah off in a huff, we might as well take a break until later this afternoon. Say three o’clock.”
“Fine with me. I’d like a chance to consult my Book of Shadows. I’m wondering if a simple acquire spell could be adapted to this situation.”
“You are inventive. I’ll be curious whether it works.”
As Sophie walked toward the new recruits, Lilith got up from where she’d been sitting on the ground, watching the witches’ efforts.
“I still don’t like this plan of yours. She broke your link and the warlock is much stronger.”
“It takes practice. I’ll get better.”
Lilith gestured toward Rebekah’s retreating form. “Judging from the scowl on her face, so will she.”
“That’s why I’m hoping to find some insurance in the Book of Shadows. I can’t be the only Calin witch who’s ever needed to borrow a little extra power.”
Ari retrieved the grimoire from among her baggage, and she and Lilith settled on an outside log while the coven was involved with the new arrivals. The recruitment really didn’t concern her, and it provided an excellent excuse for research time. She spread the worn red-leather book open on her lap, carefully turning the pages. Lilith sat beside her.
“This is the first time I’ve seen the inside of your spell book,” Lilith said. “There are even some sketches.”
“We record everything important, in whatever way we can. Family history, unusual creatures, recipes for spells and potions. Sometimes a picture is useful, if you have the talent.” She quirked her mouth at Lilith. “I don’t. You won’t find me adding any drawings, but I have added a few spells and potions.” She flipped to the back, her fingers running down the page. “And see, here’s a section I added on demon image changers. The next generation will know all about them.” She flipped back to the middle. “The Acquire spell should be about here.” She turned a page, then another, and pointed. “Here it is. This version refers to capturing inanimate objects, but I think I can tweak it for a different use, and then store it in a spell capsule.”
“Those colored pills you keep in your pouch? How do they work?”
“They aren’t really pills. A completed magical spell has been stored inside each capsule. When I need the spell, all I have to do is break open the capsule, and—instant magic. It saves time in a crisis. Like during a fight with a warlock.”
“Cool.”
Ari shot a grin at her friend. “I haven’t used them much in the past, because they are so labor intensive to make, but Sophie showed me a shortcut the other day. See, I’ve learned a lot from our German friends.”
She focused on the page and started reading. She read it twice, before laying the book aside and digging in her pouch.
“What are you looking for?”
“Something to write on. I have to modify the words of the spell.”
“That tiny, tiny notebook you carry? You stay here and think. I’ll get something better from inside.” Lilith disappeared into the cabin, returning with pen and paper.
Ari scribbled a line of verse, stopped to run it through her head, scratched out what she’d written, and began again. Lilith wandered off to join several witches who’d set up a target range. Ari glanced over briefly and smiled. They’d stopped their own practice to watch Lilith shoot. She could put on quite a show with those twin pistols.
When Ari was satisfied she had the words right, she went inside to grab a single candle and her leather magicks’ bag and returned to the training area. She chose a tree off to one side, drew a circle underneath, and knelt in the middle. The leather bag yielded a small white cloth, which she spread on the ground, and a half dozen pink and white capsules. She lit the candle.
“Hey, wait for me.” Lilith ran toward her, waving her hands. “I want to see this part. How do you capture a spell?”
“You can watch if you want, but be careful not to touch the circle.” The witches from the target range came to stand beside Lilith. Ari’s eyes flickered to them, and she brushed her hair away from her face. “I’ve never tried this method before. You guys are going to make me nervous.”
“Yeah, you scare so easily,” a woman said. The others laughed.
Ari concentrated on the magic, gradually tuning out the sounds around her. Focusing on the smoke from the candle, she murmured the words of the Acquire spell.
Take from him the source of all; send his magic to my thrall;
Thought to deed, heart’s desire; with this thought, I shall acquire.
Picking up an empty capsule and separating the halves, she held the white bottom in the smoke and said the words for capturing the spell.
Take this spell, wrap it tight; keep it safe from dark and light;
In these capsules, hide it all; set it free when I call;
Gracious Goddess, hear my plea; so mote it be.
When white smoke had curled into the capsule, she added the pink top. Setting the completed spell on the cloth, she picked up a second and then a third, continuing until she had completed all six. Finally, she thanked the Goddess, blew out the candle, and broke the circle.
“All done.” She gathered her items back into the magicks’ bag and stood, a smile on her face.
“How’d you make the smoke go into the capsules?” Lilith demanded.
“Magic,” a young watcher said, then giggled.
Lilith rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. I guess I walked into that one.”
Ari, Lilith, and the women who’d joined them headed back to the cabin. Sophie met them at the door. “Spell casting?”
“Tried your capsuling trick with only one candle. Much shorter ceremony, and it worked.”
“Of course it worked. Now let’s see if your spell can do as well.”
They trooped into the clearing, and Sophie set up a witches’ circle with her five remaining sisters. Rebekah would eventually be part of that circle, but for now she was once again playing the target. Ari went to the far side of the clearing, Rebekah spaced herself between the two, so they formed a triangle. The first time Ari tried it without using a spell capsule. Now that Rebekah knew what to expect, her resistance held for several seconds, and Ari broke off the attempt in order to bolster Rebekah’s confidence for the next try. The woman shot Ari an I-told-you-so look of satisfaction.
The second time, Ari broke open a capsule. The air shimmered as Rebekah’s magic responded to
the spell, rushing toward Ari until she raised her magic to deflect it to the witches’ circle. Within an instant, the added power flooded back to her from the coven. Ari pumped her arm in the air.
“By the Goddess, it worked,” Sophie shouted. “I’ve got to have this spell.”
The witches met in an excited, congratulatory group in the center of the clearing. Even Rebekah seemed awed by what they’d done.
“So, how’d it feel?” Sophie turned a questioning look on Rebekah. “Will Warin know what’s happened right away?”
“I don’t think so. I saw Ari react before I felt anything, and then…” She struggled for words. “It was like I’d breathed out a long breath.” Her gaze slid to Ari, and she grudgingly added, “Good spell.”
“Fantastic spell, you mean,” another witch declared.
“Let’s do it again. Just to be sure.” Ari looked at Rebekah. “And this time, I’ll signal when I’m opening the capsule by a countdown to three. Set your shields ahead of time. Let’s see just how powerful this spell is.”
They took their places, Ari counted to three loud enough for everyone to hear, and released the spell. She felt the pull, the bounce. A moment later power rushed through her.
Rebekah lifted her arms in resignation. “I couldn’t stop it. It was just gone.”
The coven members cheered. They didn’t have a lot of clear victories in their fight against the vampires’ domination. Although this wasn’t a killing spell, it could level the playing field if the vampires continued to employ sorcery. Of course, it remained to be seen if it had any long-term applications or could be wielded by another witch, but Ari wasn’t concerned about that right now. Her main concern was Andreas, and this might just give them their ticket out of Castle Doom.
“So what happens after you get all this power?” Lilith asked. “This isn’t the teleport spell is it? Do you need another capsule for that?”
