by Lucia Ashta
Once we reached the Irish Sea—before the sunrise, as Mulunu wanted—our progress increased significantly. As Liana and I sped through the water in a blur behind the sea witch, my mind scrambled to find a solution that would spare Quinn and me.
But it all came back to my angel magic—and its inherent unpredictability. My angel magic held untold power; it also was perhaps a greater danger to Quinn—and even me—than Mulunu herself.
As Mulunu pulled herself out of the water and onto a shore that looked very much like the one we’d set off from in Ireland, I’d still come to no ready decision. I could somehow incapacitate Mulunu right then; surely my angel magic would heed my call to spare my life and that of the man I loved. But I’d be left facing the fearsome witch who’d taken Quinn without the knowledge of the sea witch to help us. The smarter plan seemed to be to continue following Mulunu’s lead for now. I could always take her out later if I needed to.
I bit my lip while I pulled myself to shore behind the crone, who was already dragging her tail onto the rocks in an attempt to distance herself from the ocean spray. We weren’t going anywhere until our bodies dried enough for us to sprout legs—and me wings.
“My magic has only shown me that Lizbeth is holding Quinn somewhere atop the crest of a hill,” Mulunu said, studying Liana and me with an odd, dreamy look. “I don’t yet know what kind of fortress she’ll be holding him in, though I have no doubt she’ll be prepared for someone to come looking for him. She might not anticipate me, though. I assume she’ll think Selene will be coming. I doubt she fears you, Selene.” Her gaze narrowed on me as she wrung out her hair, the shells woven into it clinking as she squeezed. “We’ll have to use that to our advantage.”
My heart wrenched in confusion. It almost sounded like Mulunu was on our side. I sensed Liana’s attention on my back, probably wondering the same thing as me. It would be an enormous relief to be able to trust the crone.
“What do you expect Selene to do?” Liana asked, but her question was gentle, as if she too were feeling things out.
“Well…” Mulunu trailed a look up and down my naked body, finishing at the multi-colored scales that encased my tail. “That all depends on what Selene can do.” She arched her brow in question at me.
I chewed at my lip. If the sea witch weren’t my enemy, I’d give her more details than I had before, when she’d heeded my call in what I’d assumed was to help me save Quinn. I’d include the frightening lack of limits my power appeared to have, along with the total lack of control I seemed to have over it. As it was, I couldn’t reveal any more secrets.
“You don’t trust me,” Mulunu commented. “Good.”
I spluttered some outrage, but didn’t articulate a word. The witch was infuriating and utterly confusing. Between Mulunu’s maybe-intentions to kill me and the fact that Quinn still might be in the throes of my magic, dying, my heart contorted in a big, unpleasant jumble.
The witch chuckled, and Liana and I glared at her.
“Don’t share your secrets with me,” Mulunu said, “but be prepared to use whatever magic you have. From what I know of Lizbeth, she’ll attack the second she spots us. She seems like a kill first, ask questions later kind of witch.”
“What should I do?” Liana asked.
Mulunu peered at her. “Hmm, perhaps you should remain here at the water, out of the way.”
Liana opened her mouth in outrage. “What kind of coward do you think I am? Wait, don’t answer that. I will not stay behind while my best friend’s life is threatened by nasty witches.” She gave a tight, bitchy smile, making sure Mulunu realized she was wholeheartedly including her in that statement.
“You might die,” Mulunu said, sounding a little too unconcerned by the possibility.
I cringed.
“I guess that fact doesn’t bother you as much as it should,” Liana said, “since the most powerful siren among the Kunus isn’t my mother.”
Mulunu stared at Liana until she rubbed a tired, knobby hand across her face, clutching her staff to her side. She shook her head to the melody of tinkling shells. “I don’t know how this went so wrong. You both seem to think I hate you.”
Wide-eyed, Liana looked at me. I met her stare with equal astonishment. I’d never claimed to understand the sea witch, but this uncertainty was unheard of.
The witch sighed and seemed about to say something. In the end, she merely shook her head and studied our surroundings. We were at the bottom of a steep cliff, the waves crashing violently against the rocks we sat upon.
“We’re never going to dry out like this. It will take a bit of time, but I can direct the water away from us. Selene, will you be able to fly us to the top of the cliff?”
I blinked. “Me?”
Mulunu sighed again; she sounded exhausted. “Yes, you.”
I nodded before deciding whether this was something I could do. I had managed to fly up the fifty feet or so required to reach the spot where I’d abandoned Quinn in Ireland, but that had been a first, and I’d never carried anyone with me. Still, I added conviction to my nod. “Yes, I can do it. But you have to promise me that you won’t kill Quinn or me without giving us a chance to prove to you that we aren’t a menace.”
“I can’t promise you that, Selene,” Mulunu responded right away. “I have to follow the messages of my magic as I receive them.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Then I’ll go on my own. I’m sure I can find a way to rescue Quinn and be on my way before you dry out in the middle of all this mist. I’ll use my magic to dry out and figure things out without you.”
She quirked her brow at me. “You’ll face Lizbeth all on your own?”
“Heck, yes,” I said, deadpan. It was time to own up to the full extent of my power. It was the only way Quinn and I would survive this. The sapphire fairy Nessa liked to say, “Fake it till you make it, silly.” Well, I’d make her proud; I was faking it like a minnow with dreams of a long life expectancy.
“I see,” Mulunu eventually said. “I can’t promise you long.”
“Just give me the rest of the day, that’s all I ask for.”
“The sun only just rose. The rest of the day is an eternity when magic is concerned.”
“Take it or leave it,” I said, and received a thumbs-up from Liana behind the crone’s back.
“Fine,” Mulunu snapped, but she almost seemed … pleased by my negotiations, proving that I didn’t have a lick of an idea what went on in her head. “I’ll give you till sunset, but you get me to Lizbeth and Quinn.”
“Deal,” I said, as Liana said, “Wait a second. If you’re so ready to sacrifice Quinn, then why not just let Lizbeth kill him and be done with it?” She cast me an apologetic grimace, but it was a good question.
“Because you can bet a whole pile of sand dollars that Lizbeth has no interest in killing Quinn, at least not until she’s drained him of his power. If Quinn’s power is unstable and dangerous within him, can you guess what it would be like for a witch of Lizbeth’s caliber and age to claim it? It would be catastrophic.”
“How old is this Lizbeth?” Liana asked.
“Nearly as old as I am, as best I can figure,” Mulunu said.
“As old as sand, then.” Liana winked at me.
Mulunu scowled. “Roughly.”
“It’s the same thing the vampire Antonio Dimorelli wants to do to Quinn and to me,” I said. “He also wants to siphon off our power and keep it for himself.”
“I’m surprised he’s the only other one. Once news of the two of you travels more, you’ll have a whole army of supernaturals chasing you to drain you. And now that Quinn has shifted, you won’t have much time. With the two of you connected, your combined powers will be broadcasting to the world at large like a lighthouse beacon. Anyone attuned to magic will be able to sense you out there. It’s how I found it so easy to locate Quinn.”
Right. So we had to flipping hurry. Without further comment, I closed my eyes and reached for my angel magic—or my
siren magic. I wasn’t about to be picky. Whatever would help me, I’d take.
I pictured my flesh completely dry, isolating it from the constant spray shooting all around us. Right away, I sensed the elements around me responding to my wishes. Wings sprouted from my back and my tail sucked inward with a loud squelch before it was replaced by legs with an audible pop.
When I opened my eyes, I discovered both Mulunu and Liana staring at me. “What?”
“That was faster than I expected,” Mulunu said, trailing her attention across the length of my body with apparent newfound appreciation. Good. Maybe she’d think twice before trying to double-cross me.
Claiming my feet, I reached for Liana first, expecting Mulunu to protest. She didn’t.
I slid my arms under Liana’s and tugged her awkwardly to standing, but with her tail it was a challenge. I had no idea if my wings could hold both our weights, so I called on my angel magic to assist us. While I experimentally began to flap my wings, I simultaneously pictured Liana and I arriving at the top of the cliff.
Fast enough to leave my mind whirling and my sense of equilibrium reeling, a force—my magic, I assumed—tugged us out of space and delivered us to the crest of the hill, plopping us down among craggy rocks with enough force to send us tumbling several feet. Liana, whose tail hadn’t yet had the opportunity to dry, flopped awkwardly among the uneven terrain, but her wide-eyed gaze and open mouth were what caught my attention the most.
“What the oyster pearl?” she spluttered.
I grinned. “Life’s been pretty wild since I last saw you.”
“I guess so…” She looked from me to the edge of the cliff and back again. Her eyes remained wide as full moons. “You owe me so many stories. I wasn’t able to see anything about you since you left. Mulunu denied every request I made to view life on land.”
“We’ll catch up. Promise.” I reclaimed my legs and shook out my wings, rolling my neck. Without another word, I ran to the edge of the cliff, and only with a smidgen of hesitation, I dove off the edge, praying my wings would catch me.
By instinct, they did, and my heart did a little jig of celebration. Nessa would be out of her mind thrilled. My flight wasn’t exactly elegant, but I managed to land alongside Mulunu with minimal trouble, only stumbling a little before clasping my arms around her chest, above her breasts.
Unnecessarily, I heaved, and no sooner did I picture us up at the top of the cliff next to Liana, we arrived. My stomach churned from the unnatural travel, and even Mulunu appeared unsettled, her lips pursed as if she were swallowing down bile. She collapsed into a nest of rocks the instant I released her.
I studied our surroundings. Lush green coated the gray, craggy rocks not far away from us. By the time the hill began to dip and then transition into another, taller hill, the green was all-encompassing. The scenery was similar to that in Ireland: vibrant, fertile—and stormy at the moment.
“Hurry,” Mulunu grumbled in a wobbly voice I barely recognized. “We have to hurry.”
She was right. Urgency thrummed through my entire body like the beat of an insistent drum.
“The witch … she knows we’re here.” Mulunu, who’d only just sprouted legs, pushed up to her feet. She wobbled once, but then managed to remain upright. “We have to get to her before she launches an attack.”
In my heart I understood it was too late. Lizbeth, or whoever was within the fortress at the top of the next hill over, had already set in motion their attack. I sensed it like I felt Quinn within the centuries- old stone building. Quinn’s magic thrummed, alive and tangible, like an electric storm. Equally identifiable, the force of an attack tingled my skin with an alert.
There was no time to run. There was no time to hide.
“Stand up, Li,” I ordered hastily.
Liana shot to her own set of wobbly feet without question, and without consideration of whether Mulunu was more enemy or ally at the moment, I reached for her knobby hand. I linked my other through Liana’s and pictured us at the very top of the fortress, behind its visible crenellation.
As the volley of magical attack raced toward us, I shot a burst of my own magic toward my intentions. In the next moment, we were once more being wrenched across space at dizzying speeds. When we landed atop old, worn gray stone to the chorus of gasps of its defenders, Liana and Mulunu bent over and vomited right where they stood. I sank heavily to the ground, breathing deeply to keep the contents of my own stomach down.
When a handful of oddly-attired soldiers drew swords and marched on us, shock and menace warring for supremacy across their tight faces, I gulped heavily. But just as I wondered if I could draw on my magic once more in time to save us, wiping at her mouth, Mulunu spun on her heels and faced the soldiers.
Fully nude, she wore a crazed, wild look. Her milky eyes glowed from within like twin stars, and the rich, humid air scented with the ocean sizzled and sparked with the prelude to her defense.
A breeze whipped the air into a frenzy and she spread her arms, staff clutched tightly in one hand. When she slammed it across the stone beneath us, I struggled to my feet and drew up behind her.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?
I sure as hell hoped so.
4
Lightning slashed across the sky in jagged streaks as ferocious as Mulunu’s fury. Cracks of bright white light sliced through pregnant clouds like the whips of slave drivers, and thunder shook the fortress’ foundations until the tremors reached us at its pinnacle.
Mulunu’s hair and my own whipped in the sudden magical storm while Liana shakily rose to her feet to move behind us. The soldiers approaching us shot concerned glances in every direction but didn’t falter in their approach. Dressed in long tunics and robes, swords hung at their belts. But not a single one of them reached for their weapons. Instead, their lips moved hurriedly in what I’d come to recognize as the chanting of spells. When light ignited, crackling, between the hands of one of them, I was certain: these were far from ordinary soldiers. The fortress was defended by wizards.
Mulunu’s words raced through the suddenly dark morning as she aimed to beat the wizards at an attack. The opal that crowned her staff glowed with her intention.
I was suddenly distracted. “Quinn.” My lover’s name tumbled from my lips in a reverent whisper.
“He’s here?” Liana whispered back, taking care not to distract Mulunu.
“He’s here. I can sense him.”
“How?” Liana mouthed, and I shrugged. I wasn’t entirely sure how I sensed him, only that I surely did. It must have been my magic—one part of my hybrid side, or the combination of both volatile attributes.
Quinn was here, somewhere beneath the stone I stood on. He was alive, but I couldn’t tell if he was well.
As Mulunu continued her chanting, the pressure in the air concentrating around us until my ears clogged, the busy thoughts of my mind stilled. Once more, I zoomed toward my intentions without thinking through the steps.
The wizards would kill us if we gave them the chance; every squinty set of eyes and determined scowl guaranteed it. They didn’t know us, probably didn’t even know our names, but they’d kill us just the same because this Lizbeth ordered it.
The shells in Mulunu’s hair snapped against each other violently as the air around us suggested a tropical storm. One of the wizards shrieked, but they all persevered, leaning forward to advance through the ferocious protests of the wind.
I took one final look at the five men stomping toward us and then allowed my eyes to close, shutting out the din and the frantic energy that surrounded us.
“Dead,” I whispered under my breath as I imagined the life force leaving the wizards before they could carry out their orders. Picturing them collapsing into heaps where they stood, I waited, focusing on the steady rhythm of my heart and how it reached for Quinn even without my direction.
Soft thudding merged with the sounds of the wind, of Mulunu’s intensifying magic, until silence slowly settled
across the rooftop. When the clinking of the seashells in the crone’s hair completely died down, I finally opened my eyes.
Though I’d managed to keep the contents of my stomach down before, I didn’t then. I ran to the side of the roof, clutched the crenellation with a death grip, and heaved over the side.
The wizards were no longer wizards; they weren’t even men. A pile of mushy flesh and broken bones, their corpses suggested that they’d been blown to bits by a bomb.
I heaved again and nothing but bile came up. It had been so long since I’d last eaten that there was nothing left to empty. I remained at the edge of the roof, staring blindly at the ground several stories beneath us. Anything was better than looking at the devastation I’d caused.
I was busy swallowing sour bile when a rough, callused hand rubbed at my back, its motions surprisingly soothing for its source.
“You did only what I was working to do,” Mulunu said, her comforting tones nearly as strange as what I’d just done. “You saved us from their magic. They were going to kill us.”
I nodded absently, horror coating every piece of myself as if I were dipped in filth—in shame.
“The world is a harsh place. You did what was necessary to survive,” she insisted.
I nodded some more, trying to figure out what disturbed me the most. Was it that I’d killed five men so completely that not even their bodies continued to exist? Or was it that I’d killed them so incredibly effortlessly?
“Selene,” Liana said as she ducked between my bent arms and the waist-high crenellation, forcing me to look at her. “How did you do it?” Sympathy made her eyes and mouth soft.
I gulped several times before whispering my fears aloud. “Too easily.”
Liana nodded in understanding. Of everyone on this planet, she knew me best, better even than my mama or Quinn.
“You’ll learn to control it,” she said.
Swallowing the rancid taste in my mouth, I forced myself to stand upright while the sea witch continued her soothing. Her hand rubbed circles into my back beneath my hair as I stared vacantly off into the distance. The lighting and thunderstorm had drawn to as abrupt an end as its start. Birds once more sang into the early morning … as if I hadn’t just ripped five men from this earthly plane.