The Shadows

by Cheyenne McCray

  “What seek you, Hannah of the D’Anu?” Instead of a roar, the Dragon’s voice was a song on the wind.

  Hannah bowed from her shoulders and straightened. “Your guidance. The Dragons that have always been present to assist me when I scry have vanished. My scrying mirror shattered.” She hated the tremble in her voice and the loss of confidence. “I don’t know what to do.”

  The Dragon’s golden eyes studied her for a long moment. “You must seek the answers inside you, Hannah of the D’Anu. To your own heart you must be true.”

  Hannah opened her mouth to ask what the great being meant when he vanished into but a few golden sparkles, and then was gone.

  “Thank you for your words of wisdom.” Hannah bowed in the direction the Air Dragon had appeared even though she wasn’t so sure about the words or the wisdom. What did the Elemental mean?

  Fire Dragons had always been her strength and her hand shook as she pointed the sword south. “To me, the splendid magical fire power, from the Dragon of the South at this critical hour.”

  Almost at once flames sprouted from the sand, swirling up until a great red Dragon rose and let out a roar that made Hannah tremble inside and out.

  The Dragon spewed flame at Hannah, and a scream rose up in her throat. Only the circle protected her from the fire. Terror scored her like a knife.

  Her hand holding the sword lowered to her side as she stared at the Dragon. “Why are you upset with me? How have I displeased you?”

  She almost dropped her sword when the Dragon blew flame at her again, this time far more powerfully. And then without a word, the Dragon vanished.

  Hannah held in a cry and stumbled back. Sweat rolled down her chilled skin and her entire body shook. She didn’t know what to say.

  Normally she would thank the Dragon for his presence, but she’d never had anything like this happen before when she called on the Dragons for guidance.

  Still shaken, she prepared herself for the worst as she turned to the west—afraid that the Water Dragon would ignore her or treat her as the Fire Dragon had. If she’d had the ability to cry, her face would have been coated with tears.

  Wanting to scream, but holding it all inside in a tight ball in her belly, Hannah raised her sword. “To me, the joyous power of water, from the Dragon of the West asks your D’Anu daughter.”

  From the ocean a great Dragon rolled in with the next wave, raising its head and growing with power as it towered over her.

  “You have much to fear, Hannah of the D’Anu,” came the Dragon’s great gurgling voice. “Those of us who would choose to cannot protect you.”

  “Would you lend me your protection?” Hannah’s arm shook as she pointed the sword to the sand.

  “Alas, I cannot.” The Dragon swiveled its head to where the Fire Dragon had been. “We have been summoned by another far more powerful being who rules both fire and water.”

  “But—”

  The great Dragon shook its head. “Fare thee well, Hannah of the D’Anu.”

  Her legs wanted to give out as the waves swept out the Water Dragon.

  Water and fire. Powerful beings.

  The Fomorii were once sea gods, rulers of the water. Ceithlenn was a being with hair of flame—a goddess who must have power over fire.

  Hannah almost sank down on the sand. Was there any hope in calling forth the Earth Dragon?

  She turned to the north and her hand and voice shook as she held up the sword and spoke. “To me, the magnificent power of Earth, from the Dragon of the north so near my heart.”

  The ground rumbled. Sand shifted beneath Hannah’s feet and she stumbled back a step.

  A great green Dragon rose from the earth and sand. When it crouched before her, the Earth Dragon stretched out its tremendous wings and gave a roar like thunder, shaking the ground with its power.

  The Dragon lowered its head, weaving back and forth almost like a serpent would and its glowing green eyes nearly mesmerized Hannah.

  “Child of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth,” the great Dragon rumbled. “It is with great sadness that I see my brethren have forsaken thee.”

  She simply stared at the Dragon, her lower lip wanting to tremble with the pain of their desertion. The Air Dragon had not deserted her, but had not offered its power, either.

  “I will lend you what protection I can,” the Earth Dragon said in a low, soothing voice that untied a knot or two from her belly. “But what I have to offer will not see you through your trials. You must find strength in yourself and in those who matter most to you.”

  The knots retied themselves in her belly and a chill broke out on her skin. Some of the pain faded as the Earth Dragon flapped its massive wings again and a flow of power washed over Hannah. Power that grounded her like the earth itself.

  The Earth Dragon’s magic combined with her own strained powers, Garran’s offerings, and what the Goddess had lent her.

  Maybe it would be enough?

  It didn’t feel like enough.

  She clenched the hilt of her ceremonial sword. “With much respect, may I ask who is commanding the Fire and Water Dragons?”

  The earth rumbled beneath Hannah’s feet and she staggered. “You already know the answer to your question, D’Anu witch.”

  “Ceithlenn,” Hannah whispered.

  “I wish you much luck in these coming days, Hannah of the D’Anu.” The Earth Dragon settled its wings at its sides and sounded sad as it finished. “Much will be required of you.”

  The sword fell from Hannah’s hand and she watched the Earth Dragon melt back into the sand and vanish.

  She dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Oh, goddess, what was she to do?

  For what seemed an eternity, she sat there, her dry eyes aching and her heart throbbing, a painful feeling in her chest.

  When she had collected herself, gathered her emotions as much as she could, Hannah tugged on her robe. She took down her circle of protection, started grabbing the tools of her craft, and shoved them into her backpack.

  Anger tightened the knots in her belly, the anger warring against the hurt, the fear. With the Water and Fire Dragons on Ceithlenn’s side, the goddess would be even more powerful than she already was.

  She shrugged out of her robe, leaving her naked again. She started to put her T-shirt and jeans on when chilling laughter came from behind her that sent ice down her spine.

  She whirled and came face-to-face with Ceithlenn.

  The goddess had her claws extended, her hands on her leather-clad hips, her eyes glowing red in the night. Her hair flamed the same color as the Dragon’s had earlier, and Ceithlenn spread her bat-like wings wide.

  Heart pounding so hard she thought her head would explode, Hannah dropped her T-shirt. She raised her hands to throw up a spellshield to protect herself.

  Too late!

  Ceithlenn spun a red ball of energy around Hannah’s naked form that felt like fire burning her skin. She screamed as pain seared her body and she fell to her knees.

  Fire licked her as if frying her, yet not. Ceithlenn gave a wicked smile as she watched Hannah.

  “D’Anu bitch.” The goddess showed her fangs. “If I didn’t have special plans for you, I would burn you alive rather than simply inflicting the agony of fire upon you.”

  Concentrate. Focus. Calm. Hannah attempted to focus herself on the words as she writhed and cried out, trying to get her mind to cooperate as she willed the pain away.

  She drew on her own magic, on the Drow powers Garran had given her, on the strength from the goddess Anu, and the magic from the Earth Dragon.

  Even as it felt as if her bare flesh were in flames, Hannah managed to wrap herself in the cooling balm of the combined magics, a bubble like the geodess forming around her that protected her within the fiery one Ceithlenn had caged her in.

  The relief was so great that Hannah collapsed at the bottom of her own bubble of soothing magic. The fire on her skin faded and cool magic rolled over her body.

&
nbsp; The dark goddess shrieked, her features contorting and turning even more evil than they already were. The fireball surrounding Hannah’s cocoon enlarged.

  Sweat from the increasing heat dripped down the side of Hannah’s face. So much of her energy had been sapped by Ceithlenn’s first attack that it was a struggle to maintain the protection surrounding her.

  Ceithlenn planted her hands on her hips and glared at Hannah. “What will be most pleasurable, even more than causing you great pain, is luring your lover to you. And killing him.”

  Despite the continued heat trying to break through her cocoon, Hannah felt a chill surround her heart. She got to her knees and wrapped her arms across her breasts. “I have no lover.”

  “I’m not surprised by your desire to protect him.” The goddess snorted. “I scried what the Drow king did to my legions and he will pay.” She narrowed her evil red eyes and her hair seemed to flame higher. “I will claw out his heart in front of you so that you can watch as he dies.”

  Horrible images filled Hannah’s mind as Ceithlenn continued. “Your so-called ‘Alliance’ will be busy quite soon with the surprise I have prepared for them while I kill you and the Drow king.”

  The goddess smirked. “It is unfortunate you will not witness the D’Anu deaths at the claws of my demons. Instead you will watch me tear apart your lover.”

  One thought after another tore through Hannah’s soul as terror for Garran and her sister witches screeched through her. What did the goddess have planned for the D’Anu? How could Hannah save them and herself?

  Ceithlenn walked closer to the bubble, her hair bright against the foggy sky. She placed her hand against the shield of fire. The goddess bared her fangs.

  The evil emanating from her, and the memory of how Ceithlenn ate humans alive, was enough to cause bile to rise in Hannah’s throat. The urge to throw up was almost overwhelming.

  Hannah swallowed the acid as she tightened her arms across her bare breasts. Still, she kept herself prepared in case she had the opportunity to battle the flame-haired bitch.

  Ceithlenn placed both hands on the bubble.

  Everything spun.

  Hannah couldn’t help a scream as the sudden movement slammed her against the side of her protective cocoon. Dark sky, ocean, sand whirled. Fire and blackness all swirled into one dizzying nightmare.

  She fell forward when the bubble came to a complete stop. Her mind wouldn’t stop spinning and for a moment it was all she could do to maintain her magic shield.

  When her mind settled a little, she saw that she was someplace…familiar. It took a moment for her scattered senses to realize she was in the observation loggia, the very top of Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. Instead of the white uncanny glow that always lit the night from the tower, eerie red flooded everything.

  The fire sphere was now tall enough for Hannah to stand and she extended her own cocoon, drawing on the power inside her. From the top of the cylindrical tower there was an astounding view of the city and the bay. It had been so long since she’d been here she’d forgotten how incredible the view from the Coit Tower was.

  She shook her head, understanding hitting her like a blow to her chest. Ceithlenn had brought her here, an easy trap, a difficult place for her to be rescued—or to escape from.

  Red from the flickering flames of the sphere lit the inside of the tower and she gradually realized that Ceithlenn wasn’t the only other being there.

  Hannah’s heart knocked against her breastbone when she saw she was surrounded by Fomorii demons salivating and drooling. They looked as if they couldn’t wait to tear her apart and eat her in tiny pieces, or large chunks.

  When Hannah met Ceithlenn’s evil stare, more shock and pain shot through her. The Fire Dragon stood at the goddess’s side. The Dragon was normally so enormous that it had to shrink in size to fit inside the tower. The Dragon’s red eyes matched Ceithlenn’s.

  With a roar that reverberated through the night, the Dragon let loose a stream of fire directly at the sphere surrounding Hannah. The flames joined Ceithlenn’s and Hannah screamed as the heat intensified and her cocoon threatened to fail.

  The goddess looked at the Fire Dragon and smiled.

  “So it will be,” the Dragon said, just before fire shot from its mouth again, engulfing the fire sphere and shattering Hannah’s magic.

  A louder scream tore from her throat as the fire began burning her alive.

  23

  It had been a hell of a day. Make that a fucking rotten day.

  Jake clenched the steering wheel of his sports car tighter as he navigated San Francisco streets toward the Alliance’s warehouse HQ. He was going to head straight for the weight room and work out until he dropped.

  He was sure now that the Fomorii had infiltrated the military and government. “Official” reaction to the current situation only backed that up. Martial law had been lifted as of this evening.

  To top that off, the city government had begun encouraging tourism once again in San Francisco.

  “Those responsible have been captured,” the officials were saying. “The threat is gone now that the bioterrorists are locked away.”

  Even news stations around the world showed bogus feed provided to them—handcuffed men and women being hauled away in law enforcement vehicles.

  Jake came to a stop at a streetlight and waited for the red to turn green.

  Seeing Kat on the television screen repeating the government’s official statements had made everything seem impossibly worse. She’d maintained a reporter’s indifferent demeanor as she’d reported the news, and he couldn’t help but wonder if a Fomorii had already gotten to her.

  Jake ground his teeth as the light turned green and he forced the thought from his mind. Kat was okay. She had to be okay.

  He wasn’t so sure about the safety of the D’Anu “white” witches. They’d been turned out of their safe houses, allowed to return to their homes. The men and women of the Coven were in no way out of danger.

  Jake guided his car through the night, closing the distance to the Alliance’s warehouse as lights bled by.

  Could things get worse, life get more bizarre?

  Don’t tease God, came the voice of a psychologist in response to Jake’s words of a couple of years ago.

  Can things get any worse? Jake had said just before he’d left the Corps after that black magic had killed his team.

  Apparently they could.

  God has some fucking sense of humor.

  The fact that he hung out and planned battles with this crew made him wonder sometimes if he’d lost his sanity. Huge men with wings, witches who used spellfire and magic ropes, and now one of the Dark Elves.

  Not to mention dealing with a bitch goddess named Ceithlenn and a shitload of carnivorous demons.

  Was this what it felt like to be locked away in a straight-jacket in a white-walled sanitarium while hallucinating?

  Don’t tease God.

  Thoughts of losing his mind aside, he had a pretty good idea of what was going on. No doubt Ceithlenn wanted things to go back to “normal” so that she could have complete access to humans again.

  Jake thumped his palm against the steering wheel and ground his teeth harder. Things were getting worse by the moment.

  He just about laughed at that understatement of the last couple of centuries.

  Jake almost reached headquarters when something glowed red in his rearview and side view mirrors.

  Shit.

  What now?

  He pulled his car over, climbed out in a hurry, and stared up at an eerie red light coming from Coit Tower.

  What the hell?

  Flashes and sparks erupted from the top and through the upper arched windows. Was the tower on fire?

  That’s not fire.

  Magic. From everything he’d witnessed since working with the D’Anu, he knew magic when he saw it.

  Heart rate ratcheting a notch, Jake climbed back into his car. His tires squealed on the asphalt as he s
pun the vehicle to race through town’s maze and up Telegraph Hill.

  He grabbed the handset for the special radio that he used to contact the warehouse headquarters and called in.

  He recognized Cassia’s voice as soon as she answered and his heart gave a strange jerk-pull that had nothing to do with the circumstances.

  “I need a few warriors at Coit Tower ASAP,” he practically shouted as he navigated the steep hills on his way.

  “Whoever we can spare, we’ll send.” As usual the half-Elvin witch’s voice seemed calm. Too damned calm. “Some of the Fomorii have attacked the warehouse. Everyone here from the Alliance is fighting off demons.”

  “Shit,” Jake said before he spoke into the handset again. “Preferably send the D’Danann since they can fly to the top of the tower where the action is.”

  Cassia said, “I’m heading out now.”

  As he rushed through the city, Jake contacted other PSF officers who weren’t staying at the warehouse headquarters 24/7.

  When Jake reached the circular parking lot in front of Coit Tower, more red flames and sparks erupted.

  His heart jack hammered even more. The eruptions he saw on top of the Coit Tower were most likely caused by Ceithlenn. He was positive the bitch had set up the Fomorii attack on the Alliance HQ to distract the D’Danann.

  Why, he had no idea. I’ll sure as hell find out.

  The radio crackled and the dispatcher called for units in the vicinity to head to Coit Tower for a possible fire and/or break-in.

  Jake radioed in that the PSF was on it and for everyone else to back off.

  The dispatcher responded in the negative and said the San Francisco Fire Department was on its way, too.

  Jake cursed again and parked as close to the tower as he could.

  Didn’t these idiots get it yet?

  The guys on the SFFD would be just more fodder for Ceithlenn.

  Damn.

  He hurried out of his car. More odd flames and sparks flashed at the top of the tower.