The Elder Witches

by R.E. Packer

Chapter 28

  Distant voices were talking, voices that hadn’t been there just seconds ago. All but one sounded scared, the others were talking tough trying to screw up their nerve. I recognized that odd one as the wizard. Whatever game he was orchestrating was still being played out.

  The humming in my chest drowned out the other sounds and my vision went red. I craned my head back to look over my shoulder. The were-agent holding me paled from whatever he saw. He yelled something that I didn’t make out, or the part of my brain doing the listening tuned out.

  As the serum reached my heart a sharp pain in my chest caused me to suck air into my burning lungs. The pain traveled down my arms into my hands. Then the voice in my head, more calm then ever, told me what I could do to ease the pain, to release the pressure building inside of me.

  In a silky voice It told me of more soldiers behind a door nearby, that they were coming through the door any minute. Dozens of them— ready to kill.

  ‘All you have to do is listen— adhere to my instructions. Good and bad doesn’t exist when survival is on the line’, it purred.

  Something about the voice told me it was holding back an important secret. But when the door burst open and the hall where I stood filled with armed agents, I did everything the voice said. I let go, giving over to my subconscious or whatever it was inside me that was straining to take control, to fight, to survive.

  I watched, stunned and unable to move, as an oily black mass ripped free of me, oozing out of my sternum like a genie released from it’s bottle. A scaly clawed hand grabbed the agent’s arm that still clung to me and tossed it aside like a piece of rubbish, as it freed itself. The armed made a snapping sound, then hung at an odd angle. The black mass swirled around the men like a fog, red eyes glowed hidden in the mist. The floor shook as a creature formed and solidified. A powerful dragon stood where just seconds before there was only a black mist. It’s clawed feet dug into the tiled floor as if it were mud as it surveyed it’s surroundings.

  The agents that had been ready to attack backpedaled as they tried to get away. I stood by watching as the dragon lunged forward with what seemed like savage glee.

  ‘That was inside of me— how was that inside me— it’s not possible…’ said a small panicky voice in the back of my head, which I recognized as myself. It was like I was in the backseat, watching another version of me driving. The other voice, the one in control, was already reassuring the scared me, calming my rational mind.

  The beast ripped into more agents with teeth, claws and a wicked barbed tail, striking out with all three deadly weapons. The were-agents were far from helpless with their own claws and superhuman speed and strength. They worked as teams to try to expose the dragon’s weaknesses, flanking it then attacking.

  Their darts didn’t penetrate the dragon’s matte black scales, bullets had more effect but as one figured out, their knives did the most damage. The creature’s red eyes smoldered and puffs of smoke wafted from it’s nostrils as the were-agents attacked with their K-bar knives. Thick black blood covered their blades as they attacked.

  Gwen and Maeve were now fighting alongside the black beast, hurling magic toward the agents nearest them. A black shield appeared behind Maeve just in time to stop a burst of darts from hitting her.

  The agents had focused their attacks on the dragon. Once they saw the affect their steel blades were having on the dragon, they spread out to attack the witches again.

  Using my sight I could see that something was stopping Gwen and Maeve from being able to use their magic fully. I had no doubt that the wizard helping the agents had something to do with it.

  The agents pressed forward toward the witches. The dragon hissed, shimmered once, then suddenly morphed. It happened so fast, it seemed like a trick of the eyes. A smaller dragon, roughly half the size now fought on. It seemed quicker than even before, darting out at agents that tried to get past it to where I stood.

  The satiny black cloud of what was the other half of the dragon wrapped itself around the witches. Gwen cast a furtive glance in my direction as it flowed around her, but she made no move to try to stop it. In seconds it concealed them like a black symbiotic armor.

  Using my Sight I could see some of Gwen’s magic was now restored as she wore the armor. She was beautiful raw power. The same amount of love she’d shown for people that had tried to burn her alive in her youth, poured out in equal measure now as brutal retribution. The sword she still held glowed as she set to work with Maeve at her side.

  Maeve lashed out at the were-agents that thought the smaller target she projected meant she was weaker and easier to kill. The flames flowing from her more freely now, encompassing her entire body, until all you could see was her vague outline. Any agent close enough to her was singed by the burning inferno she had become.

  Before I could stop myself, and hoping she was too busy to have read my thoughts, I had to wonder how her clothes weren’t burned off.

  The runes from the sword cast an eerie pale light on the walls. Gwen’s magic mixed with the sword’s as ice formed on it’s edge as well as Gwen’s hands, which looked as blue as the light of the runes. The sword turned skin black on any agent that it touched, but it didn’t have any effect at all on the dragon, or the armor.

  The fight was over quickly, the remaining were-agents were outclassed by Gwen, Maeve and the dragon.

  The agents sensing defeat, had started to retreat. And the dragon, having seen Gwen let the were-agents escape stopped pursuit as well. Then it was only us left in the hall.

  Then the dragon faced the exit the last agents had retreated through and loosed a thunderous roar that shattered the glass in the nearby doors and windows. The black body armor the witches wore reverberated with the sound, doing it’s own eerie battle cry without a mouth.

  The sound of it send a chill up my spine. If that didn’t warn any agents having second thoughts, nothing would.

  Then without warning the dragon turned and took a few timid steps toward me. It lowered it’s head, bumping me a little too hard. I realized it was nuzzling me with it’s nose.

  I stood speechless looking into the giant eyes that now craved… affection? I reached out touching the top of it’s smooth scaled head with the palm of my hand. The dragon closed it’s eyes, leaned closer and purred as I ran my hand over it’s scales behind it’s small pointy ears.

  Then he bumped me affectionately with his nose once more before turning back into the black mist. It was joined by the symbiotic armor that also turned into mist, before flowing back to me, leaving nothing but a small wisp of gray black smoke.

  “What the bloody hell was that?” Maeve asked.

  The strange but familiar voice in my head answered at the same time as another weaker voice, out of sight around the corner.

  “A Shadow Beast,” I said, my voice an octave deeper than normal.

  Gwen tilted her head inquiringly as she looked at me.

  “How did you do that, Gordon?” Gwen asked, still watching me carefully.

  “How did you even know you could do that?” Maeve asked, leveling her gaze in concentration.

  Her eyes snapped shut and her head turned quickly away as she cried out, her hands to her head.

  “Gordon, if you want me out of your head just say so!” Her hands were shaking as she took a small step back.

  Gwen gave me a stern look.

  “But I— I didn’t do anything,” but then I felt the other me in my head still had his guard up.

  “Or I didn’t try to…”

  Gwen’s face softened again, her eyes showing more pity and understanding. She put her hands on my temples and I could feel the other part of me relaxing, taking a deep breath, and then he was gone.

  She stroked my cheek as she said, “We’ll work on it. Now, what were you saying?”

  I hesitated, then gave in, “The voice, It told me, in my head of course,” I said, my voice sounding closer to normal.

  Eros’ tall figure lim
ped into view. He was holding his abdomen with both hands and moving slowly.

  “As Wizard Gordon says, that was a Shadow Beast. I thought they were just legends,” Eros said in a raspy voice. “There’s only one other wizard I’ve heard of that is suspected of being able to control them— Maleos.”

  “Where’s the other wizard that was here?” I asked looking around. The runes that had been covering the walls were gone. The magic that was suppressing magic gone as well.

  “Maleos,” Eros said, hobbling closer, blood seeping through his fingers.

  “They have prophecies on my world as well,” he said looking away from the glare Gwen had given him.

  With a sigh Gwen began to heal his wounds.

  Seeing me watching, she said, “Maleos was using a spell that blocked my healing magic, most of our magic was limited in some way. I was lucky I could heal myself. His magic was very clever, I couldn’t fade in and out either, which prevented us from coming to you.

  What you’ve been calling a jump,” she clarified at my blank look. “We still have much to teach you.”

  “That’s an understatement. I figured he was doing some sort of hoodoo. Those cuffs he had them put on me drained away any magic I had. I tried to jump— fade, with James before everything happened.”

  At the mention of his name, a more fit looking James walked into view, blood staining his mouth. He was in human form and wore clothes taken from an agent.

  I did a double take as I looked at James. Not only had he healed, but he looked younger. Much younger. The weathered fatherly face now held the tight smooth look of someone half his age, it could be his son.

  At the sight of him, Maeve and Gwen both rushed to his side, inspecting his wounds. Neither seemed surprised by his fountain of youth trick.

  “I’m fine, your magic can’t heal me any way…” He shrugged, then strode over and clapped me on the shoulder.

  “Not a wolf,” I said, still looking at the transformation.

  “Nope, not a wolf.

  What happened to the wizard that started all this mess?”

  “Maleos would not just leave,” Eros said, his tone more somber than usual.

  “I saw him, when the fighting was going on. When you started fighting back,” I motioned at Gwen, “The look on his face wasn’t rage or anger, it was like he was fascinated. He acted as though he was curious what you’d do next.”

  Gwen accidentally poked Eros in the wound she was healing, but didn’t look too sorry about it.

  “We’ll search for him,” Maeve said looking more drained than I’d previously seen her.

  “And you can lead the search,” she said to Eros, clapping him on the back hard enough to make him wince.