Magic sparkled and blasted around the room, but they bounced off things like a pinball machine. What are they doing? Whatever spells and magic they were throwing weren’t doing a damn thing. They needed to be fleeing.
Heat filled my chest. I gasped and spun around. Deacon! I spotted him in an instant on the opposite side of the club. He had half a wooden chair in one hand and a dagger in the other. His blonde hair was streaked with black demon blood. My heart fluttered. Deacon. He stood in front of Amelia and two other young girls and faced one of the demons head on. The demon growled and lunged at him but Deacon was a trained fighter, he swung his dagger and sliced it through the demon’s side.
The demon shrieked and crashed to the ground but it was back up in the blink of an eye. Deacon cursed and swung again. Red blood spilled out of his palms and down the side of his face. Deacon! I raced forward, pumping my arms to move as fast as I could. Scarlett screamed behind me. I slid to a stop but my balance faltered and I dropped to one knee. I’d moved too far away from them. No, no, no!
The gorilla-lion held Scarlett in the air by the throat. She kicked and flailed her legs but it was no use. She clawed at its hand squeezing her throat. Her eyes were wide and face was turning blue. I screamed and pushed my magic. It pushed the demons arm lower. Scarlett gasped. The demon turned its glowing red eyes on me. I held my palms up and fired more balls of energy at the hideous thing. It growled and stumbled toward me. Yes, come on over ugly.
But Liam didn’t see that I had the monster’s attention or that it had loosened Scarlett’s throat enough so she was breathing. He charged the demon, screaming and shooting meaningless magic at its face. The demon hissed and threw Scarlett into the air…then sank its fangs into Liam’s throat. A tidal wave of red blood splashed onto the demon’s face. I gasped. Liam’s friends screamed and raced toward him like there was any hope for saving him. I knew there wasn’t, and they were about to get themselves killed.
“NO!” I yelled and flicked my wrists.
Two hot fire balls filled my palms in an instant. I screamed and threw my fire over and over until the demon was a flaming, smoking carcass. Caroline, Noah, and the two Fitzgerald kids shrieked and dove away. They rolled and swatted at the flames covering their clothes and arms.
I spun on my toes to go for Deacon and my heart caught in my throat. Deacon and the three girls were cornered by two demons. And he was down to just his dagger. Oh HELL no.
That’s it.
Screw the danger.
“DEACON!” I screamed as loud as I could. “DOWN!”
I summoned every ounce of magic in my soul and pushed it out of me. Bright orange flames shot out of me like water in a fireman’s hose. It slammed into the two demon’s backs. I didn’t give them a chance to fight back. My fire burned them to ashes in the flash of a second. An evil kind of grin spread across my face. My magic sang in my veins. I was done playing it safe.
I turned away from him and swung my arms in circles. From the middle of the dance floor I had a perfect view of the entire club. Demons littered the room, there had to be almost a dozen. I clenched my teeth and shot fire balls like I was a machine gun. People screamed and panicked but I ignored them. Flames danced up my arms and over my dress. My hair whipped around me, shining bright gold. My arms glowed bright like a full moon – like Tegan and Tenn.
One of the demons leapt into the air like it was trying to jump back out the hole in the ceiling. I sucked flames into my mouth then spit it like a torpedo right at the wingless flying demon. It turned to dust in seconds. I turned back to the room and attacked.
My vision tunneled until all I saw were my targets. I pushed with everything I had until all I saw was fire…ember…and ash.
I’d never felt stronger in my life.
Red smoke swept over me and heat filled my chest. “Emersyn!”
I snapped to attention and my vision cleared.
Deacon stood thirty feet in front of me. “They’re all dead!”
“Are you alright?” I dropped my arms and moved toward him. My flames followed me like they were my pets that didn’t want to be left alone.
Deacon pushed his hair back off his face and chuckled. “Yeah, Butterberry, I’m alright.”
I smiled and looked around – and my heart stopped.
There were more witches left inside the club than I realized. A good fifty of them on the dance floor and at least fifty more crammed over by the doors. And they were all staring at me with wide eyes and jaws hanging open. No one moved or spoke. I wasn’t sure they were even breathing.
I glanced over my shoulder to where Liam had fallen. His friends were frozen in shock. Claudia leaned over Liam, her eyes were closed and she shook her head. Liam’s father sank to his knees beside her, sobbing and screaming. My heart sank. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d done enough in that moment. I’d been fighting the demon just not with my fire because it was too dangerous in itself. Please let him be the only loss.
“Emersyn,” Deacon whispered in my ear. His big, warm hand cupped my jaw. “That was not your fault.”
I shook my head. “They weren’t prepared.”
“Um, Emersyn?” Sebastien yelled. When I turned I found him swatting flames off his jacket. “You were…incredible…”
“Thank you.” I stepped away from Deacon then held my palms up. My magic didn’t even wait for me to call on it. Flames shot to my hands like I’d called them home for dinner. Within seconds every single flame was gone. I wiggled my fingers and pulled the lingering smoke toward me, then shot it straight up through the hole in the ceiling.
“Holy shit,” Marshall Davenport whispered. “That was…Goddess, almighty. Wow. Emersyn.”
Heather limped over to us. Her blonde hair was caked with blood and she had several gouges on her arms. She gripped her dagger in her hands like she didn’t think it was over. She looked to me with wild sapphire eyes. “Are they gone? All of them?”
“MAJORS!” Someone shouted from the top of the stairs but out of sight. “MAJORS!”
We all frowned and turned toward the staircase just as a group of five men dressed in black fighting gear came barreling down the steps. As they approached the bottom their faces paled and their pace slowed.
“Christopher?” Heather scowled. “Where the hell were you?”
“Ryan? Derek?” Marshall stepped forward. “What’s going on?”
“Majors…we…need…” A red-haired guy not much older than me ran up to us, clutching his side. His words were clipped and coming in between gasps for air. “Majors…demons…Times Square…now…hurry…”
Chapter Thirty-Four
EMERSYN
By the time we ran the twenty blocks to Times Square the tourist hub was an absolute madhouse. For a moment, I was stunned and frozen by the sight before me. I’d never been to Times Square, I’d always wanted to. This was not how I imagined it, not by a long shot.
We stood right at the center of it. Buildings towered all around me with neon flashing lights and television screens the size of my entire house. There were billboards plastered with ads for Broadway musicals, clothing, and the biggest Coca-Cola sign I’d ever seen. To my left was a Walgreens and way up above it, the needle with the ball for New Year’s Eve. To my right was raised seating, like part of a stadium. Or maybe it was just stairs. I couldn’t tell, there were too many people on it. Right behind it was a glittering sign for Olive Garden. I spun in a circle, trying to take everything in.
McDonald’s. Forever 21. Is that an M&M store?
The subway roared beneath us, shaking the ground and sending hot air up through the vents. Street corners were littered with stands for purses and sunglasses, street artists, and vending carts. My stomach growled at the smell of those delicious hot dogs. There were homeless people huddled in corners and men handing out flyers to passing tourists.
There were people everywhere. It was like I’d been dropped into an ant farm. Each and every person had their own agenda as they scurried along.
There were tourists snapping selfies every two feet. Tourists with big professional-looking cameras. People weighed down by shopping bags. And superheroes. There had to be two dozen people dressed up in costumes for various pop culture figures. A man wearing only a cowboy hat and boots walked by me playing the guitar strapped to his chest. As he passed I saw the tighty-whities hidden behind his instrument and the strap that read Naked Cowboy.
Police sirens wailed, their red and blue lights shining bright and reflecting off the street signs. Yellow taxi-cabs lined the street, their drivers hung out the windows and cursed every car in front of them while blaring their horns. But the streets were gridlocked. No one was moving, not even the pedestrians.
A cold gust of wind whipped up the street and the sickly-sweet scent of maple syrup swept over me. Demon blood. I cursed and shook myself back to the moment. I’d been so distracted by the city itself I’d forgotten for a moment why I was there. An ear-piercing shriek ripped through the noise and chaos of Times Square so loud the windows in the buildings rattled.
“What is that?” Caroline screamed from somewhere behind me.
I looked up just as a monster I’d never seen before flew over our heads. It swooped down and ripped a street sign out of the ground then threw it into the side of a building. I threw my hands up and shot fire right at the beast. It hissed and dove around a corner. There was a flash of light from my left. I jumped with my magic ready…except it was a tourist. Snapping pictures.
“What the hell?” I heard myself whisper.
The crowd parted in front of us and I saw two younger guys dressed in all black carrying a third man by the arms and legs — no wait. One of his legs was missing just above the knee. Despite the tourniquet the blood gushed like a river. My stomach turned. I glanced to the sky, looking for the demon that did it.
“Robert...” Sebastian whispered. “Katrina, go with them to the infirmary. Make sure everything is secure there!”
A woman I’d never seen before nodded then pulled daggers off her thighs and guided the men through the crowd behind us. A high-pitched whistle noise shot across the sky. I narrowed my eyes to try and see what it was but it was just a big blob of gray. But then it slammed into the side of a van and the whole thing exploded. Fire erupted from the vehicle. I gasped and threw my hands out to contain the flames. My pulse skyrocketed. There was a man in the driver’s seat. I pushed with everything I had and pulled the flames back from him but he wasn’t getting out, he seemed to be stuck.
“Get him out!” Deacon yelled over my shoulder.
A couple men in all black with swords strapped to their backs were already running over. They yanked the door open and pulled him out. The man grimaced and shouted in pain. Both of his legs were severely burned. But he was alive. I cursed and balled my hands into fists then flicked them up to the sky. The fire copied my movements, condensing into a little ball then shot into the sky like a rocket. It exploded over our heads like fireworks. The crowd cheered and applauded. What is wrong with these people?
A dark figure jumped off the roof of the hotel across the street. My magic tingled the tips of my fingers. I shifted my weight around, wanting to be ready to move. The figure flew down toward us. It had wide wings and small horns on its forehead. Demon. My heart skipped. This was not the same demon I saw a second ago. I summoned flames to my hands then shot several fire balls right at the demon. It swerved and dodged each then swooped down low, like it knew I wouldn’t endanger the humans. I grabbed Deacon’s jacket. I didn’t need to speak, he’d know what I was feeling.
The demon turned its red beady eyes on me as it flew toward us. Without breaking eye contact it dove into the crowd and snatched two women off the ground. The women shrieked and screamed as the demon flew off with them clutched in its talons. Red blood poured out from their shoulders and neck. There was a collective gasp from the crowd then more cheering. What the hell is wrong with these people? Did the demons hypnotize them?
Deacon cursed. Red mist shot out of his hands and into the crowd. “Knights, catch!”
Before I could even react or ask what his plan was he shot red lightning right at the demon’s side. He fired relentlessly, following the demon without missing a beat. The demon hissed and shrieked as it tried to flee Deacon’s attack, but it was no use. Deacon was a machine. The women hanging from its claws cried and begged for help. Deacon growled like a lion and his lightning grew thicker and brighter. The demon yelped and dropped the women. They fell at least twenty, maybe thirty feet into the crowd.
Deacon didn’t stop. He kept firing. I raised my hands and shot my fire, one after another, lighting the sky up. The demon tried to get passed my flames but it failed over and over. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the human crowd getting more and more excited.
“Why aren’t the humans running?” I snapped. “Why aren’t they scared?”
“Claudia,” Deacon yelled over his shoulder as he shot his red lightning. “This you?”
“It’s a spell we had her put up to protect the city,” Heather said in a rushed, low voice. “Any magic humans see they’ll automatically assume it’s from a movie being filmed.”
My eyes widened. “So they all think this is fake?”
“Can’t she just take it off?” Noah asked, even though I had no idea he’d followed us.
“NO!” Heather and I both yelled back at the same time.
The gray demon circled the street. It made a weird barking sound. A few seconds later, the call was answered. That black demon I’d seen a few moments earlier and another darker gray one flew in over our heads. If I thought there was chaos before I was rudely awakened. They slashed glass windows. They shot fire out of their mouths and even though I could stop them from hitting anything I wasn’t going to be able to control it forever. One of them swooped down and picked up another human from the crowd then flung them in the air. The person screamed as they soared. The second demon caught the human but it quickly tossed it across Times Square to the other demon. They were playing catch with a human.
Deacon zapped the third demon so hard it dropped the human. I saw a few guys in black sprint over and catch the human before it hit the ground. I clenched my teeth. We were just stalling them. We needed to make a move or we’d be there all night. But not with the humans.
“The last thing we need is wide spread panic, that’s all we’ll get by removing that spell.” Heather glanced up to the sky then turned to me. Her sapphire eyes were clear and sharp but her face paled. She looked to me. “Emersyn, what do we do?”
“What?”
Heather shook her head and for the first time I saw the fear in her eyes. “Tell us what to do, Empress.”
I looked behind her and found everyone watching me. Including Deacon. Shit. I took a deep breath, then released it. I wasn’t used to being the leader, that was Tegan or Tenn’s role. But no one else seemed to be taking the lead. It was up to me. “Deacon, get these humans gone now. Claudia, can you transform one item into something else?”
Claudia’s red hair flapped in the breeze. She held one crystal-covered wand in the air. “Yes.”
I nodded. “We can’t find these guys with daggers and swords. Can you turn their weapons to bow and arrows – or even better, firearms of some kind?”
Her hazel eyes lit up. “Yes! Brilliant! I’m on it!” She spun and raced toward the group of guys in all black who I knew were the Knights of New York, Swords students from Edenburg.
When I turned my gaze back to the crowd I found crimson red mist slithering between every person. One by one the humans frowned then turned and raced away. I grabbed Deacon’s arm and braced myself through the stampede. I had no idea what Deacon said to them but within seconds we were alone on Broadway. Just three demons and a small group of witches.
Plan. Plan. We need a plan. Every idea that came to mind required a witch who wasn’t there. All of my demon fighting experience had been with The Coven, now that they weren’t with me I didn’t know what to do. Willow could
’ve made the demons see other things. Lily could’ve blinded them. Paulina could’ve called upon spirits to help us. Uncle Kessler probably could’ve just ripped one in half with his bare hands. My mother could’ve been everywhere all at once. They’re not here, Em. THINK.
One of the demons swooped down and picked up a police car, then threw it into a building two blocks down. The building exploded into fire and shattered glass. I moved forward to the middle of the street, then spun around in a circle. The demons were hovering just out of reach. Their red eyes glowed. This was ridiculous. I didn’t know how we were supposed to fight something that could fly when we couldn’t — I gasped. That’s it. They had the home court advantage and we needed to take that back. We needed control.
“We need to trap them here, so they can’t destroy the whole city.” I spun around until I spotted our Lead Page. “Claudia, can you give us a barrier?”
She frowned and tapped her wand on her chin, but then her eyes widened. She nodded. “Yes! Pages, come with me!”
“Now we need to get them on the ground,” I said mostly to myself as I tried to think.
“Like Central Park.” Deacon spun to face me. “Em, smoke ‘em out. They’ll have no choice but to come down here.”
I looked to the sky. It was risky. They would have to go up or down to escape, and if they went up they’d be set loose on the city of Manhattan. But it was the only idea we had, and we needed to act fast. I summoned my magic from deep inside then pushed it out. Smoke poured out of my hands and seeped into the sky. I sent it higher and higher until I felt the dark energy of each demon like pin-pricks on my neck.
The Fire Witch (The Coven: Elemental Magic Book 7) Page 16
