Unholy Sundering

by DeAnna Browne

  “I said line up.” Peter’s quiet voice carried through the now still gymnasium.

  The men gathered together, lining up in front of Peter. Some men still had pain etched on their faces and pushed back against Peter’s magic enough to make it to the line.

  “Defensive magic will save your lives. Keep your walls up at all times, even around your friends.” Peter approached a middle-aged man. His stomach protruded like a pregnant woman, and his soft features were topped off with a bushy beard and a balding head.

  “Name,” Peter demanded.

  “Bud.” He stared above Peter’s head.

  “Do I repulse you, Bud?”

  The man glanced at Peter. “No.”

  Peter didn’t have to use magic to see the untruth in his face.

  “Don’t lie.” Peter attacked Bud instantly with a spell, gradually crushing his airway. The idiot didn’t even try to stop him. “Well, you disgust me. You’re fat, lazy, and didn’t even obey the command I just gave the group. Keep your guard up. You aren’t worthy to house the demon I keep in my dog right now.”

  A phone buzzed in his pocket. The only person that had this number was Ryma.

  Bud’s eyes bulged as he tore at his throat. Peter released the spell, and the man collapsed on the floor. No one else moved.

  “You are a waste of oxygen.” He turned away from the men and answered his phone. “Yes.”

  “We need to act now,” Ryma said on the other end of the phone.

  Peter swallowed the expletive he wanted to use. If Ryma were here, he would have fed Bud to his demon. “These men are not ready,” Peter explained. “Arturo does not run his coven with the same effectiveness as you do.” That was an understatement.

  “Regardless, they’ll be enough. We’re dealing with rogues that breed with Mundanes.”

  “Do you want me to keep you updated?” Peter wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.

  “Yes. The only way I’ll get my report is if you stay behind the lines.”

  “I’m glad I can be of use.” There was a subtle blandness to Peter’s response since he’d repeated the line more than once.

  “I have not forgotten about you and your needs. Nevada is waiting to work on your scars.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Do not thank me yet. You still have a job to do,” Ryma informed him. “There are some vermin that need to be chased out of the sewers.”

  Peter watched Bud finally get to his feet. “And I know who can be the cheese.”

  After sending Becca to bed, Darion watched Elizabeth sleep. Liz hadn’t slept easy though. There were ramblings and a few moments of consciousness where she opened her eyes. She didn’t stay awake for more than a minute or two.

  He’d spent a lot of time with Elizabeth in the past months, mostly keeping Bael under control. As he watched the sisters sleep in the med unit, he saw the resemblance between them. It wasn’t their coloring. Where Becca had fair skin with contrasting hair, Elizabeth had gold hair with freckles.

  As they slept and battled their dreams, they clenched their jaws, and a similar determination etched into their brows. These two were fighters; no one else could have made it through what they had.

  The lighting in the med unit began to brighten, signaling the start of the new day. Doc and Nikki appeared soon after for their morning shift. Becca rolled over and gradually sat up. Her eyes were still heavy. He wished she could have slept more.

  “How’s Elizabeth doing?” Doc hung his stethoscope around his neck. “Any more coherent?”

  “A bit,” Darion replied.

  “She kept me up most the night rambling about a fire,” Becca added.

  Doc glanced at Darion.

  Why does everyone look at me when the word “fire” is mentioned? “It could be the fires from Ryma’s coven. Flashes of the past,” Darion offered.

  Nikki came over with a new IV bag. “She’ll come around.”

  “I hope so.” He wished he could be that optimistic, but he knew better than to promise things he couldn’t deliver. “What happened to the prisoners they took alive?”

  “Dead. Whoever he was bonded to shredded his mind once they realized he was taken prisoner. So sad.” Doc shook his head in pity. Then his attention returned to Liz as he took her blood pressure and listened to her chest. “She seems to be improving since Bael’s death.”

  “Demons tend to take a lot out of you.” Becca rubbed her face, trying to wake up.

  Doc finished setting up Liz’s new IV bag and tucked the blanket around her thin frame.

  Andre entered the med unit.

  Doc greeted him. “Coming to check on your daughter or the patient?”

  “Both.” He squeezed Nikki’s arm as he walked past her. Standing at the foot of Liz’s bed, he pulled back the sheet and touched her ankle.

  Becca watched him closely, worry tightening her mouth. Darion moved to stand next to her and took her hand. She squeezed it back.

  “She’s getting back her power,” Andre finally said. “She’ll get there.”

  “Her power?” Becca swung her legs over the bed, ready to jump.

  Darion tightened his hold, hoping to calm her down. Could she be so oblivious as to not think her sister had magic? Magic ran in families, and given Becca’s power, Elizabeth had to have it as well.

  “Yes,” Andre replied. “She has magic humming through her body just like you.” He looked pleased, like he’d acquired another magician to join his community.

  Becca must have been thinking the same thing, hence the annoyed expression on her face.

  “I’m glad you got a little rest, Becca,” he continued. “Lance will be expecting you in training today.”

  “Training? I need to stay here.” Becca’s point might have been better made if she hadn’t just jumped out of bed.

  Darion wondered why Andre was so eager to get Becca back to training.

  “You are needed in training.” Andre’s deep voice took an edge. “We have clothed, fed, and cared for you and your sister. You have a debt to repay.”

  “A debt?” Color flooded Becca’s face, her shoulders tensing. “How long do you deem this debt?”

  Darion interrupted before she said something she’d regret. “Is this about the attack from earlier? Did Jemi find any information?”

  The serious look on Andre’s face told him he might’ve been right. Darion assumed Andre didn’t have Jemi delving into people’s mind unless there was a reason, and it may be more of a reason than Darion knew.

  Andre’s thin lips spoke more than he probably wanted them to. “Becca, Lance is waiting for you. Nikki will watch Elizabeth until you return.”

  “I can be with her,” Darion offered, willing to ease Becca’s annoyance which looked like it might explode any minute.

  “No, I have another job for you. Please get dressed and meet me back at my office after breakfast.” Andre strode out of the room, nodding at Doc and Nikki briefly.

  Something was setting him on edge, and Darion wanted to find out what it was before it came back and bit him in the butt.

  Pissed didn’t begin to describe Becca’s mood. She hadn’t lived on her own for the last several years so now she could be ordered around by some guy with control issues. Andre quickly flipped from a man who acted kind and caring to just another petty dictator.

  Unfortunately, she always paid her debts, and there was no denying she owed him for her sister’s life, and for helping speed up her healing. Her arm where she’d cut herself still ached, but she’d regained full use. She wished payment wasn’t so soon. With her disturbing dreams and her connection to Liz, Becca wanted to explore what was really happening between them.

  Instead, Becca headed back to the dorm to get dressed. Thankfully no one was there to see the large bandage on her left arm. The rumors of her actions had probably already flown through the underground compound, but she wasn’t ready to face up to them yet. After lacing her boots, she skipped breakfast and headed straight to
the training room, hoping she could kick a few rounds in with the dummies before anyone showed up.

  In the training room, Lance was alone, pulling some mats out of the closet. “Hey, girl. I didn’t expect to see you up and around so soon.” He tossed the training mats on the floor. Despite the cooler temps, he still wore only a black tank top and dark pants. His frame was thin in comparison to Leon and Caleb, but defined muscles still stood out on his arms. “How are you doing?”

  Ignoring the question and his concerned look, Becca helped pull the mats. “Andre made it seem like you were expecting me.”

  “Then I probably was.” He grinned. “Wanna spar until the others show up?”

  The idea sounded great. No better way to prove she was okay than to jump back into things.

  Becca stretched out her arms and legs. “With muscles or magic?”

  “The fact that you asked that question raises serious doubts.” Lance widened his stance and rubbed his closely shaven head. “It’s always both.” Then he winked.

  She didn’t know whether to laugh or punch him. Instead, she put up her guard mentally, and raced forward. After a couple steps, something tripped her up, and she flew forward, ending up on her back as Lance stood over her.

  “How did you get through my defenses?” She didn’t feel a single attack against her shield.

  “I tugged up the edge of the mat. You tripped.” His labored breaths must’ve been from the magic, because he hadn’t moved a muscle. Moving physical things was difficult, especially if it wasn’t your specialty. But that was why Lance was in charge of training. He could do magic in every concentration. Not enough to move an ocean or start a fire, but he could control many of the elements.

  “You okay? Did I push too hard? I should have realized you were still injured.” He stretched out a hand to help her up, and she wanted to slap that sympathy off his face.

  She rolled to one side and swept his legs out from under him. She pounced on top of him and struck out at him, several times in quick succession, not giving him time to think. During the fight, she kept her shield in place, a constant barrier in the back of her mind. Using his weight, he rolled, pushed her off, and pinned her face down on the mat.

  Down but not out, she closed her eyes and focused on her offensive powers. She crept into his mind and tried to influence him. His barriers were strong, but she remembered his advice and tried to sneak in, not barge in.

  He quickly loosed his grip. “Was that crack from you? What’s broken? Are you okay?”

  As he lifted his weight off of her, she pulled her legs in and kicked out at his chest. It caught him off guard, and he fell backwards on his butt.

  The shouts of others surrounded them. Becca realized that several people were watching their fight. She wiped the sweat out of her eyes and stood.

  “I don’t know what Andre was talking about recovery.” Lance was already on his feet, not showing any signs of injury. “You’re stronger every day I see you. Even without a demon.”

  “People use demons here?” Most magicians did, but she hadn’t seen any sign of them. It was her favorite part about this community.

  “Most people don’t. None in training. You have to get permission from Andre. But Andre and a few others do. He buries the pentagram and demon in the mountainside. So at least it is safe for the rest of us.” Lance rubbed his chest. “You sure you don’t train with Leon?”

  “I learned to fight in the city.” Her thoughts turned to Nikko and her past jobs. “It was a lot easier without magic.”

  “In some ways. Most people usually rely on one or the other. Keep working on your powers, and you may surprise a few people.”

  Navina appeared at Becca’s side. “I missed the fight. Are you guys going to go again?”

  “Not now.” He ruffled Navina’s hair, ignoring her annoyed look. “We have work to do today.”

  Navina followed Lance into the crowd of people, her questions coming faster than he could answer.

  Becca rolled her shoulders, working out the aches. It had been too long since she’d sparred, and her wrist throbbed in pain. Despite everyone’s emphasis to work on her powers, she couldn’t let her other skills fade. She spent the rest of practice making that happen.

  CHAPTER 25

  A fter breakfast, Darion returned to Andre’s office as instructed. Andre was reading a letter at his desk and held up a finger for Darion to wait. While waiting, Darion thought about Becca and worried for whoever ended up on the opposite side of her bad mood. Becca didn’t do well taking orders, even if they were in her best interest. This community might’ve been difficult for her to adjust to, but it was better than anything else out there.

  Darion grew up with his parents in a coven. He knew Andre’s community held a freedom little others had, and there was a protection in numbers here. If they stayed, Becca and Darion could have a future, if she still did want a future with him. Between Caleb and the chaos with Elizabeth, he wasn’t sure where they stood. Their timing never quite worked.

  Damn the timing. He wasn’t giving up.

  “Thank you for coming.” Andre folded the letter and sealed it back into the envelope before looking up. “Have a seat.”

  “I didn’t get the impression there was a choice. We have a debt to pay.” Darion didn’t begrudge Andre, but wanted him to be forthcoming.

  “I didn’t want to play that card. Trust me. But Becca would have spent days there tending to her sister, when she needs to learn to protect herself.”

  “I agree with you on that, but then why do you have your own daughter there? She has powers, and her specialty isn’t healing.” Darion wasn’t stupid. Andre wanted to protect his daughter, but that wasn’t the smartest way.

  At the mention of Nikki, Andre’s firm features lost any decorum of civility. “She’s my daughter, and it’s my decision. This isn’t a democracy.”

  Darion nodded and didn’t blame him. He liked to push people, so he knew what to expect. It was those people who were always so damn happy and pleasant that when push came to shove, they scared the hell out of him. “What do you need from me?”

  Andre stood, walked over to his library, and shelved a book. “I’m impressed by your ability with languages and magic. It’s noteworthy. I am surprised Ryma let you get away.”

  “He didn’t let me. I burned my way out.”

  Andre nodded. “I’d be a fool if I didn’t utilize your power or try to convince you to stay to help protect our community and way of life.”

  Darion stayed quiet, not wanting to commit. He enjoyed the community, but wasn’t sure what was going to happen to Becca and Elizabeth. He wouldn’t plan a future that didn’t include Becca.

  “So I hope you decide to stay,” Andre said.

  “Do we have a choice?”

  “Of course. I cannot force you to stay. If you choose to go, I will have to get a binding blood promise that you won’t reveal our location. But it will be your choice.” Andre leaned against his desk, watching Darion’s response closely.

  “We haven’t discussed the future. Becca will wait and see what happens with her sister. But a word of advice.” Darion leaned back in the chair. “If you push Becca, she’ll shove back.”

  “I’ve come to see that.” Andre chuckled. “So you ready to get to work?”

  “Sure.”

  “First, with the books you have read in Greek and Latin, I want you to translate them and copy them in English. Word for word. We need to make these available to others.”

  “I agree.” If possible, Darion would even love his own copies of the books.

  “It will be painstaking.”

  “I know.”

  “Maybe someone can help.”

  Darion thought immediately of Becca. “Maybe.”

  “For the next task, you’ll have to follow me.”

  Darion trailed Andre out of his office and into the tunnels. They turned down an unfamiliar path, away from the cafeteria and dormitories. The trail turned again deepe
r into the earth, and lights became scarce.

  Andre picked up a lamp on the floor. “Will you?”

  “Of course.” With a wave of his hand, Darion created a simple flame in the lamp and held one above his own hand. The lights threw shadows against the dark, narrow path. The air felt stilted and damp down here.

  “Are we headed to the dungeon or something? Please tell me you’re keeping a dragon down here.” As a child, Darion once saw a demon that resembled a dragon.

  Andre turned around. “Dragons? Really?”

  “A kid can dream, can’t he?” It was on the top of Darion’s Christmas list every year until he’d turned eight.

  They turned into an open room, littered with a few piles of dirt.

  “As you know, I created these tunnels and caves. It took decades, and while I can do much with my magic, metal is not one of my gifts.” Andre dragged his hand across the wall, and it crumbled with ease. “I need to reinforce these walls, protect them physically and magically as well.”

  “Okay.” Darion wasn’t sure where Andre was going with this.

  Andre turned back to him. “So how hot can your fire get?”

  Becca stood in line for dinner, achy and tired from a long day of training. The pale-colored soup up ahead meant clam chowder again. They’d had it every day for the past three days. At least it was hot, and fresh. She’d swear it had snowed, but it was the ice cold water that slammed against the cave’s walls. Even with two pairs of socks, leggings under her pants, and a few layers on top, the cold seeped through to her core.

  Caleb joined her in line for food. “Wondered if I’d catch you here.” They both had been busy with training.

  He’d been a little distant with her since the incident with Elizabeth. She called it an incident; he’d said she tried to kill herself. He was hurt. She understood to some degree.

  “Grabbing dinner to take down to Liz at the med unit.” Becca had been able to wake her long enough to eat a few bites.